


Jeremy and Mike

by MuseCallista



Category: Five Nights at Freddy's
Genre: Blood and Injury, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Abuse, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, One Shot Collection, Slow Burn, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:08:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 40,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23674381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MuseCallista/pseuds/MuseCallista
Summary: At a job with animatronics set on killing whatever may be in their path during the night, Mike is just trying to make it by. No matter how badly he wants to give up, a bright green light keeps him going.—a compilation of one shots about Jeremy and Mike, and the adventures they have together. Information about this au in first chapter. it’s gonna be a slow process toward romance, just keep that in mind! Hope you enjoy :)
Relationships: Jeremy Fitzgerald/Mike Schmidt
Comments: 29
Kudos: 113





	1. Quick Explanation (Please Read)

hii!! 

This is just a general explanation of my FNAF au before you read. i just fell back into fnaf after a few years (i fell out of the fandom after 4 but i’ve kept up with the games). Now that im back, _a lot_ of stuff has changed that i am not at all accustomed to. most of these changes that have happened i will not be using!

so, at the very core of this au, it’s based on the one mxbones made in 2015. BASED ON. this is not the au. i went back and forth about if i even wanted to touch this au but all i really ended up using was a few ideas, designs, and the name vincent for pg.

the character with the most similar personality to the au is mike lol, everyone else has went through heavy personality changes. jeremy doesnt act like a baby, pg isnt disgusting, phone guy has a personality, etc.

i dont think pg will even be in this but if he is he won’t really be anything like the original character. i just liked the name and design lol

fritz is literally gonna be a different character. ive always hated his design and lack of personality so if he appears in any chapters he wont be fritz from the au

besides mike being the bite of 87, i didnt really use like... any of mxbones’ ideas. i cant remember what jeremy’s backstory originally was but his fathers still a jerk so that might be another idea they had

everything else will be my own ideas :) im gonna try and use some canon elements, but then again theres not much i can do

also! in this au fnaf 1 happened before fnaf 2! im working out my own timeline in case i make other stories in the future!!

anyway, thank you for reading, ill add anything if i think of something, if you have questions just let me know

i hope u enjoy! <3


	2. First Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A determined teen joins the night watch, making Mike question whether the pay really was worth it or not.

It had already been an entire month, and Mike wanted the place to burn.  
The problem wasn’t the kids, or the cheap uniforms, not even the horrid pay. It was the lack of doors.  
He didn’t know if it were because of his experience from the old place or not, but he couldn’t shake the idea that nothing was stopping the animatronics from getting in. He’d only worked the night shift in the new place if a replacement was needed, but he was unsettled every time by the open vents and hallway. With nine animatronics and a giant puppet, he wondered if management had it out for the night guards.  
Working the day shift wasn’t any better. Mike hated children almost as much as he hated the animatronics. He was crowded everyday by little brats who wanted to use him as a jungle gym. If it weren’t the brats, it was the parents coming to complain about things he really didn’t care about. The only thing that kept the day guard sane was the pay. It wasn’t good pay, but it bought him dinner and an apartment.

Mike stood near the prize counter, watching as kids came piling in the restaurant. Fazbears had only been open for an hour and it was already crowded. The day guard glared at the stage. Those terrifying animatronics shouldn’t have attracted anyone.  
As he looked back at the entrance, he noticed a large paper stuck to the window next to the door. It was held up by four small pieces of clear tape.  
Now hiring.  
It had to be for the night shift. The last time Mike had heard, Fritz was working the night shift. What had changed? They couldn’t just put _another_ innocent into the hellfire that was Fazbears. Since the new place opened, three night guards had already come and gone. Fritz had just finally agreed to cover the past week’s shift. Something must have prevented him from wanting to work another week.  
If Mike had to take on a week or two, he would. As long as no one else had to. He angrily walked toward the sign.

The manager stepped in front of him and ripped the paper down. He crumpled it up and shoved it in his pocket.  
“Micheal! I’ve got a new recruit for you.” Mr. Barker announced. The day guard grit his teeth but kept himself quiet. He didn’t want to risk another suspension.  
His eyes averted to the kid standing next to his boss. Mr. Barker put a hand on the kid’s shoulder, “This is Jeremy, our new night guard.”  
He couldn’t be older than sixteen. Mike was pretty sure the kid working there had to be illegal, but no one cared about law at Fazbears.  
“Show him the ropes before you lock up for the night. He’s starting tonight.” The manager grinned.  
“Isn’t this a little soon? It’s Wednesday.” Mike argued. Each night, the animatronics got more aggressive. They were worst on Saturdays and easiest on Mondays. Mike hadn’t worked a Sunday, but had been told the animatronics did whatever they wanted that night and their aggressiveness depended entirely on their mood and wether they liked the night guard or not. Based on his experiences with the robots, he had a feeling Sundays wouldn’t be a good night for him to work.  
“That’s why you’re training him, Micheal. I’d get to work sooner than later it if I were you,” Mr. Barker finally removed his hand off the kids shoulder and began walking away, “Get him a uniform too while you’re at it!”

Mike averted his eyes to the kid. His messy brown hair covered so much of his face to the point where the day guard wondered if he could even see. He wore a green sweater that was a size too large with blue jeans and very worn-looking green shoes.  
“It’s nice to, um, meet you, Micheal.” The kid spoke in a tone that reminded Mike of a kicked puppy.  
“It’s Mike,” The day guard angrily gestured to his name tag, _“ Mike.”_  
“I’m sorry,” The kid quickly apologized, “Um, I’m Jeremy.”  
“I don’t care. You come back here at ten, not a minute later. Understand me?” The day guard demanded. It was exhausting to get attached to any new employees. They were always stuffed, and Mike would have a new name tag to toss out. He’d learned quickly not to bother being nice.  
“I- uh, o-okay, ten,” The kid quickly nodded, “Got it..”  
“I have a job to get back to.” Mike shoved his hands in his pockets and turned away, signaling to the new night guard that the conversation was over.  
He heard footsteps walking away, and finally took a deep breath he didn’t realize he was holding.

The day shift ended at nine. While the janitor cleaned up, Mike grabbed some leftover pizza and rested in the office. He didn’t see a point in leaving for an hour, considering he’d be out of the place by eleven thirty.  
The remaining hour was spent tapping through the cameras. Mike found himself avoiding parts and services. He’d been grateful to whoever decided to scrap the older models. He didn’t get why they were still active, though. Each one’s body was horribly mangled from being pulled apart for scraps. None of them should have been moving. Yet, they still walked around at night with deep resentment of whoever was unlucky enough to work the night shift.

Mike shot his head up as the sound of small footsteps filled his ears. After an entire year at Fazbears, the smallest sound made his head turn. Even quiet noises could be dangerous.  
What approached was the kid from earlier. He waved slightly at the day guard with a small smile. When he got a scowl in reply, his hand quickly sunk back to his side.  
“How the hell did you get in here? The place is locked up.” Mike remembered locking the doors. Part of him had hoped the kid would see them locked and go back home.  
“Oh, uh, someone let me in. He said his name was-“  
“That’s all I needed to know,” The day guard interrupted as he stood up from his desk, “Cmon. Let’s go get your uniform. Then we can start this shit show.”  
The brunet mumbled an apology as Mike walked past him. He turned his heel and followed the day guard down the hall. Each footstep echoed loudly throughout the large hall. The openness of the place only aided in its eery aura.  
The two made their way into parts and service. Mike wished someone had considered using a separate room for the spare uniforms. He flicked the light switch on.  
“Those poor things,” The kid suddenly frowned, “They’re all torn apart..”  
“Don’t touch them. I wouldn’t even look at them if I were you.” The day guard muttered. He took one quick glance at the brunet before going over to the shirt rack and searching for something small.  
“Why?” The kid asked.  
“Because they’re going to try and kill you.” Mike deadpanned.

“... _What_?” The kid glanced at the worn down animatronics. He looked back at Mike with a confused frown.  
“You heard me,” The day guard shoved a light blue button up and a hat into his arms, “Go change in the bathroom. We can talk in the office.”  
The kid scurried out of the room. He’d already been startled by just the mention of the animatronics intent. If Mike could keep it up, he had a chance of scaring the new night guard out.

As soon as the two were sitting in the office together, the day guard began his tyrant. He mentioned every gruesome detail he possibly could; being forcefully stuffed into a suit, torn apart by sharp teeth, dragged across the dark hallway with no chance of seeing loved ones again, he even brought up the mental trauma that came with the job.  
But even after all of that, even after explaining every aspect of the job and how easily he could die, the kid just nodded back at him. His shoulders shook from the day guards frightening words, and his breathing had become quite heavy, but he still nodded.  
Mike glanced at the clock. It was already eleven thirty. An hour and a half of scaring the kid, and he refused to budge. The day guard leaned back in his chair and loudly sighed.  
“Did I mention the music box? If you don’t wind it, the puppet will get you. No one will see you again.” Mike tried.  
“You- you mentioned it.” The new night guard replied as he played around with the cameras.  
“What about balloon bitch? He’ll rip your flashlight out of your hand and you’ll be defenseless against Foxy. The shit that thing’s teeth can do..” Mike trailed off. He reached up and tugged at his hat.  
“You, uh, told me that too.” The kid replied.

“And you’re still going through with this shit? The fuck?” The day guard crossed his arms, “How desperate for money could you possibly be?”  
“Well, I, uhm, I’m trying to get an apartment.” The kid explained.  
“You’re like sixteen. Do you even know what an apartment is?” Mike looked over at the night guard with furrowed brows. He was met with a frown.  
“I’m eighteen.” The brunet said. He couldn’t be. He was so scrawny.  
“You’re kidding. _Eighteen_?” The day guard shook his head, “Not possible. How are you eighteen?”  
The kid pulled a small wallet out of his pocket. He fumbled around with it for a moment before handing a card to the older man. Mike stared at the license in surprise.  
“Wow,” The day guard suddenly grinned, “Only five foot five, huh?”  
The kids whole face turned red. He quickly reached out and took the card back.  
“Well, how tall are you?” The brunet asked.  
“Six feet. Shit, you know what I never mentioned? Those things are up to nine feet tall.” Mike brought up. He hated how almost every animatronic hovered over him. Even the puppet was taller than him.  
“That’s okay.” The kid nodded again.  
“How could you want an apartment that bad? There has to be other jobs. The pay here is shit.” Mike reminded.  
“Well,” The kid smiled at him, “I think it’d be really great to be independent. I don’t want my, um, family, to have to worry.”  
He was so sincere. It made Mike’s heart burn. The day guard bit down hard on his lip and checked the time.

“You know what? I’ll stay tonight. Might as well, its almost twelve.” The day guard decided.  
“I’ll be okay alone if you don’t want to stay. I think I get everything.” The kid replied.  
“No, no. I’m staying.” Mike muttered. He couldn’t leave the poor kid by himself on a Wednesday. He ducked down under the desk and grabbed the spare mask. It still had some blood on it from the last night guard. The kid seemed to notice, but didn’t say anything.  
“As soon as the clock hits twelve, start winding the music box and checking the cameras. I’ll keep an eye on the vents and shit.” Mike grabbed the flashlight off the desk. He reached for the phone and turned on one of the old messages meant for a new employee.  
The voice started. The kid jumped in surprise. He turned to the phone, “Who, uh, is that?”  
“Scott.” Mike curtly replied.  
“Oh.. does he still work here?”  
“It’s twelve,” The day guard responded as he checked his watch, “Pay attention.”

The first half hour was dead silent, besides the phone’s warnings of the danger Fazbear’s presented. Mike flashed the light into the halls and vents a few times, but nothing had appeared yet.  
He glanced over at the night guard, who wasn’t letting the music box get even close to being half empty. His eyes quickly moved from the brunet and back into the hallway.  
“Mike-“ The kid suddenly spoke, “One- one of them moved. The blue bunny..”  
“They do that.” Mike rolled his eyes. He flashed into the hallway again. Foxy stood at the end of the hall, staring directly at the two.  
“Look, there’s another one. I warned you.” The day guard flashed the light at the fox few times. It glared at him, but moved back into parts and service.  
The kid stared at the hall with wide eyes. When he felt Mike’s eyes on him, he rushed back to winding up the music box.  
“The whole stage is, um, empty.” The kid nervously announced.  
“They won’t be the ones we have to worry about tonight. The toys aren’t even scary anyways. They can’t do shit.”  
“I- I thought you said they’d-“  
“Oh, they’ll kill you alright,” Mike knew where the brunet was going before he even finished the sentence, “But look at them. You’re gonna tell me they freak you out more than the broken down ones?”  
“Well, no.. but they’re moving around the whole restaurant. Thats..” The night guard trailed off.

A loud static came from the right vent. Mike pushed his mask down and reached over, forcefully moving the kid’s down too. Metal loudly scraped across the office’s tile floor.  
The mangled, broken down foxy replacement crawled through the room. It had been so graciously nicknamed Mangle because, thats what it really was. A mess of parts with an animatronic head attached.  
Mike felt the kid shudder. He looked over, realizing his hand was on top of the kids head. Though he knew it would be fine to move, he didn’t want to freak his new coworker out with sudden movement while direct danger stood in front of them.

Mike removed his mask as the animatronic crawled back into the vent it had come from. He removed his hand from the kid and grinned, “I wish I knew about these masks at the old place.”  
He flashed the light into the hallway and vents. The withered Bonnie animatronic stood at the end of the hall. Its bright red eyes jolted from the office to the party room to its left. Mike lowered his eyes as it turned and walked in the room.  
“I hate these stupid things.” The day guard scowled as he turned his eyes to the kid. His eyes widened.

“Cmon, snap out of it. You can quit at six.” Mike gently shook the kid, who was still frozen in place. His finger was still firmly pressed on the music box button, but his eyes stared forward at where the animatronic had been and his mask was still on.  
“Hey, hey,” The day guard fully turned to his coworker and pulled the mask up, “Look at me.”  
He met the kid’s wide green eyes. It was the first time he had been able to see them clearly. As soon as they made eye contact, the kid’s eyes quickly sank to the floor. The day guard worriedly frowned. He squeezed his coworkers shoulder comfortingly.  
“Er, Jeremy, was it? Listen, nothing’s gonna get you. I’ve been doing this for almost a year. We’re already an hour in, probably more. After this is over, you can quit.” Mike assured him.  
“Q-Quit?” Jeremy shook his head, “No.. I just.. I just need to..”

He was interrupted by the loud sound of Bonnie trying to pull itself out of the vent. Mike shoved Jeremy’s mask down, then his. He glared hard at the purple rabbit as it stood up. It loomed over the two at nine feet, yet still decided the vent was the best method to get into the office.  
As soon as it began making its way down the hall, Mike lifted his mask up. He watched the brunet do the same.  
“See? These things are kind of stupid sometimes. You won’t die on my watch.” Mike confidently told the night guard. He flickered the light in the hall and flashed it a few times at the fox animatronic that now stood there.  
“Um.. thank you. I’m sorry I kind of zoned out. I promise it won’t happen again.” Jeremy apologized.  
“Well, yeah. Because tonight’ll be your last night. No one can want a place to themselves this bad. I’m not gonna hold your hand the entire week,” The day guard responded with a tint of annoyance, “You know what, why don’t you work at some fast food joint? They’re always hiring.”  
“I did but no one wanted me. This is the only place that looked at my application..” The night guard admitted, “..Can I, um, ask a question?”  
“I guess.” Mike agreed as he checked his watch. It was already one thirty.

“Why do you work here? You don’t seem to like it.” Jeremy questioned. The day guard checked the vents and hall again. He thought back on all of the choices he’d made in his life, and the steps that led him to the doors of the pizzeria.  
He realized his reasoning was just as good as his coworker. No one wanted to hire a man with a head full of faded scars. His foul language also never sat well with any employers.  
“Pays the bills. I’m used to it by now,” Mike answered, “And I mean, look at me. I wouldn’t hire me.”  
Jeremy nodded. He looked away from the cameras for a moment to smile at the day guard.  
“I’d hire you.” He spoke.  
It only made Mike feel worse about him working there. He was too kind, even with the day guard’s attitude toward him. He was too good for Fazbears.

Another long hour passed. In that time, only Toy Bonnie and Mike’s personal least favorite, Balloon Boy, had decided to stop by. Mike clenched his fists as the little animatronic left the room.  
“That thing is the most vile piece of trash the company has ever designed.” He told the night guard.  
“What did he, uh, do?” Jeremy asked.  
“My second night, the little shit comes running up to me,” Mike told, “I thought he was going to attack me. He rips the flashlight out of my hands! And then, he has the audacity to break it in front of me! I almost jumped over the desk and smashed him right there.”

“So who’s your favorite?”

The day guard looked at his coworker with wide eyes. He didn’t have a favorite murderer. It was like picking from a bunch of serial killers. Mike turned his head to the brunet.  
“You’re kidding, right? A favorite?” He shook his head.  
“You’ve been here for so long though.. not one of them has grown on you?” The brunet tilted his head at Mike in confusion, before looking back at the cameras.  
“I can tell you my least favorites.” The day guard shrugged.  
“Who’re your, um, least favorites?” The kid indulged. Mike grinned at him.  
“All of them,” He told. He laughed as Jeremy shook his head.  
“I liked Chica as a kid..” The brunet said, “She’s kind of destroyed now though..”  
“Chica? You liked _Chica_? That’s just shitty taste right there. Shes the third worst of them.” Mike argued. This time, Jeremy was the one to laugh. He put a hand over his mouth as he did.  
“What’s so funny? It’s true. Even the new model isn’t shit. I see kids run around them all day, and you know who they go near the least? Chica. Cause she sucks.” The day guard rambled.  
“Third worst? What’s the order?” The brunet curiously asked.  
“Foxy is the worst of the four. Then Chica, then Bonnie and Freddy. I can’t decide which of the two is shittier which is the only reason they’re tied.”  
“Why’s Foxy, um, last?” Jeremy peered.  
“Uh...” Mike flashed the light in the hallway. Surely enough, Foxy stood there. It stared right at the day guard.  
“.. I don’t know. Just don’t like him.” He responded.

It became quiet again. The two got back to focusing. Mike had never noticed how much easier the night shift was with two people. Things ran much more efficiently. Too bad management would never consider hiring two night guards for one shift. If he even suggested that idea, his boss would laugh him out of the room.  
“Hey, it’s five.” Mike finally announced to the night guard. His coworker looked exhausted. The day guard couldn’t blame him. He was tired, too. He was accustomed to staying up late, but working from nine am to six am made him even more bitter than he usually was. It would be worth it in the end, he knew, because at least Jeremy was alive.  
The brunet tiredly rubbed his eyes. His finger was still firmly placed on the music box button, as it had been all night. He had slumped back a little in his chair, with his head resting on his hand.  
“Do me a favor and don’t fall asleep.” Mike shook his shoulder a little. The night guard quickly moved back into a straight sitting position. He mumbled an apology as he began checking each camera.  
“I was still, uh, paying attention,” Jeremy yawned, “I promise.”  
“I’m sure you were.” Mike stared hard at the empty hallway. His mind wandered to Thursday and Friday. Even if the night guard did good that night, he was still doing half the work he would do alone and there was no guarantee he wouldn’t fall asleep by accident. His focus was already getting lost.  
“This is just one night,” The day guard reminded, “You’ll be working five nights a week. They get harder every night.”  
“You- you told me earlier when you were, uh, explaining things..” Jeremy replied.  
Mike frowned deeply. He couldn’t believe the kids willpower.

After an exhaustingly tiring night, a loud chime played through the office. Jeremy suddenly jolted, his eyes shooting to where the sound had come from, the phone on the desk.  
“What- what does that mean? Is that, um, bad?” He quickly asked. Mike stood up and stretched his arms.  
“The nights over. They won’t lay a hand on us now.. probably.” The day guard explained. He set the flashlight on the desk.  
“Oh.. what should I do now?” The brunet stood up.  
“Go home. Or quit, preferably.” Mike began making his way down the hallway. Jeremy followed right behind him.  
Right in front of the parts and service door, the Bonnie and Foxy animatronics stood together.  
_“Mike,_ they’re still- they’re still out..!” The brunet whisper yelled, shooting the day guard a panicked look.  
“I know. I see ‘em.” Mike grabbed his coworkers wrist and led him away. He turned his head, raising his middle finger at the two animatronics with a sneer. The looks he got back were not pleasant ones.  
“Don’t you worry they’re gonna get mad at you?” Jeremy worriedly looked up at the day guard.  
“I’m not scared of those things. They’re just hunks of metal. And I don’t think they’ve ever attacked during the day..” Mike thought, trying to think of anything the animatronics had done. They were usually fine, at least toward kids. Though, the newer models had a tendency to randomly stare at adults. Mike remembered getting several complaints about that. Ultimately, no one could figure out why.  
The two stopped in front of the main doors. Mike opened the door, “Alright. See you, then.”  
“Are you not, uh, leaving too?” Jeremy tilted his head.  
“I’m usually here at seven anyways. Might as well stay the extra hour.” The day guard shrugged.  
“I’m sorry. That’s so inconvenient.” The brunet apologized.  
“Don’t worry about it. I don’t sleep much anyways.” Mike assured. He watched as the night guard began making way out of the building.

“Oh!” Jeremy turned again, “I almost forgot.. thank you for, um, staying with me tonight. It was really helpful.”  
“.. You’re welcome..” Mike paused, “...You know what? Why don’t I give you my number?”  
Just to be safe, he told himself.  
The brunet handed his phone over. Mike pressed on the contacts button and typed his number in.  
“Just call me if these fuckers bother you. I’ll run over here.” Mike told him. He didn’t think the kid would actually end up working many nights alone.  
“Thank you..! I’ll keep that in mind.” Jeremy smiled up at him. The day guard nodded back at him, smiling slightly himself.  
He watched the brunet walk out of the pizzeria and down the parking lot. His eyes went from his coworker to the stage, where the three toy animatronics were gathered together. A sick feeling went over him as he thought of the kid, and what those things could do to him.

There was no way he’d be leaving the kid alone on the night shift.


	3. Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s Jeremys first time working the night shift alone. Mike is less prepared than he is.

After two weeks working the day and night shift, the lack of sleep was finally taking its toll. Mike couldn’t walk straight without getting incredibly dizzy. His brain refused to work properly, or at the very least as properly as it usually could. His memory was completely nonexistent. If someone asked him how he spent anypart of his day, he’d have no answer for them.

The biggest problem was the micro sleeping. After the first week, it became common for the day guard to be doing something, completely focused, and seconds later fall unconscious without even realizing. The unconscious periods only lasted for seconds at a time, but they were enough to crush his focus and freak out his coworker. 

The first time it had happened was on a Thursday night. Mike was in the middle of winding the music box, when his eyes unwittingly closed and his head slumped. Jeremy immediately noticed and shook him until he lifted his head again. It happened for mere seconds, but Mike knew he could have gotten both of them killed if it had happened at the wrong time.

The day that incident, Jeremy confidently told the day guard that he could work the night shift alone.

“I’ve got the hang of it,” He told Mike, “You should get some- some rest.”

“Not getting rid of me that easily. I’m getting plenty of rest.” The day guard disagreed. 

There was a long pause. The brunet frowned up at Mike, his worried green eyes staring right into him. 

“I’m _worried_ for you... you don’t look good. At least take off Monday.” He pleaded.Mike only frowned back at him. 

Presently, the day guard laid in bed. His eyes were fixated on the clock that rested on his nightstand. The bold, bright red numbers kept the room dimly lit. 

It was officially twelve. Mike let out a deep breath. He rolled onto his back and looked up at the ceiling. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d laid in bed before. It didn’t feel as good as he remembered. The mattress had been from his parent’s house. After twelve years of use, it was on its last legs and ready to be thrown out. Part of it was sunken in from repeated use of only one side of the bed, and the springs inside it creaked whenever someone touched it. If only he could afford a new one. 

Mike’s mind wandered to Jeremy. The night guard was completely alone. If anything happened that night, there was almost no way to help him. His eyes moved to his phone. He remembered telling the brunet to call him if anything went wrong. He wouldn’t be able to do much, but if there was any way to prevent Jeremy from ending up in a suit then he’d try it.

“Please don’t ring.” Mike muttered. He squeezed his eyes shut, repeating his own words in his head over and over again.

_DONT RING. DONT RING. DONT RING._

... _But what if it does ring?_

Mike would be asleep. He wouldn’t even know his coworker had called. The last memory Jeremy would ever have would be of him not picking up and solidifying his death sentence. He would be dead all because the day guard couldn’t bother to keep it in a range where the ringing would wake him up.

The phone was quickly moved next to his side. It’s volume was turned up to the highest it could go. Mike could care less about the neighbors around him. The walls of the apartment were thin. Mike swore that sometimes he could hear a coin drop from two apartments away. But it didn’t matter to him if his neighbors lost a little sleep. His only worry was Jeremy.   
He closed his eyes again. He tried his hardest to think of things he enjoyed, things that could peacefully drift him off to sleep. The list was probably short, but still there.

_Coffee. Game boy. Shitty movies._

The list really _was_ short, he thought. But it was still there, and that had to mean something. Those basic things kept him going in life. He repeated the list in his head a few times, trying to calm himself.

His mind was once again brought to his coworker. He wondered if Jeremy had ever played on a game boy before. The brunet didn’t look like the game boy type. Then again, game boys were meant for everyone in Mike’s eyes. He began to consider bringing it in on a Monday night for Jeremy.

“Shit. What’s today?” He shot up and grabbed his phone. It said Tuesday, but according to the night shift it would be a Monday night. All of the toys would be active. They were incredibly easy to forget in the vents. Jeremy could accidentally forget about Mangle’s static, too. One bite from her, and he would be dead instantly.

Mike’s head began to ache. He glanced over at his clock. Only twenty minutes had passed. There was still time to get to the pizzeria. Maybe, if he ran fast enough, he could get to the office and continue the shift with Jeremy. 

“No, no.” He quickly shot down his own idea. It would be too dangerous, and would only serve as a distraction for the night guard. He didn’t need to go. Jeremy would be fine without him. He had mastered both the cameras and lights after constant practice for two weeks. He had proved plenty of times he was capable of doing everything alone.

The day guard laid back down and closed his eyes again. Everything would be fine, he told himself. There was nothing to worry about. The brunet was always good at detecting slight sound cues that sometimes even Mike didn’t notice. If anything, he was better off without the day guard there. He would be far less distracted.

But there was so much danger. Anything could happen. There were times when the animatronics could be predictable. If something changed slightly, there was a chance Jeremy would get disoriented. If he got disoriented, and Mike wasn’t there, he’d be dead in minutes. The death wouldn’t be quick either. It would be painful, too painful for someone as nice as Jeremy to ever have to endure.

“Oh, _fuck_ this.” The day guard hissed. He threw himself out of the bed and grabbed his shoes. The floor creaked loudly underneath him as he stumbled through the dark room. He grabbed his hung up uniform from the end of his bed and buttoned it up as he made his way to the living room. Each button refused to follow his tired fingers directing them into each hole, leading a frustrated Mike to give up. His body was furious at him for even getting up. His legs wobbled horribly as he crossed the apartment, and his eyes refused to open properly. Though he felt incredibly lightheaded, there was something more important at stake than another night without sleep. He made his way over to the key rack and moved his hands over each tiny hook. His hands grazed against the set of keys for his car and Fazbears. Mike grabbed them and rushed out the door. 

His eyelids felt incredibly heavy as he drove, but he knew he needed to get to the pizzeria. The animatronics wouldn’t be incredibly active until at least one. There was time for him to get into the building without much danger, if he could get there without falling asleep at the wheel. The soft rainstorm happening outside wasn’t helping much. Each raindrop created a calming sound that made Mike want to sink back into bed. 

The pizzeria wasn’t far. It was only a ten minute walk from the day guard’s apartment, and an even shorter drive. The lights on the building were all off, making the parking lot almost completely black. Mike’s eyes drooped as he made his way into the lot. He could barely see the white lines directing him where to park.

The day guard parked in front the building. His head involuntarily bobbed back against the seat of the car. The world around him spun rapidly.  His brain screamed for him to close his eyes, to allow himself to finally rest. 

He slowly reached for the handle to the door and grabbed it. 

Soft knocking startled Mike awake. He jolted upward from his car seat. 

“Mike..!” A worried voice called from his left. He quickly turned his head. Jeremy stood behind the car window, waving to the day guard. 

“I fell asleep?” Mike whispered in shock. He looked around his car for a moment, as if trying to figure out if it were a dream or not. His hand was still placed over the handle of the door. The rain from the night before had completely stopped, leaving the car unnaturally hot and humid. His back ached badly from the uncomfortable sleeping position he’d been in for hours. The pizzeria was right in front of him. He had been so close, and he’d fallen asleep. 

The day guard rolled the window down. The worried brunet next to him immediately questioned him.

“Why- why are you here? I thought you said you were taking the night off.” Jeremy frowned. 

Mike pursed his lips as he looked over his coworker. Jeremy would only worry more if he was told what had happened. Based on the past few weeks they’d spent together, the last thing Mike thought he needed was more worry in his life.

“Uh.. you know what? I actually got here a little early so I could check on you. How’d the shift go?” The day guard asked. 

“Why didn’t you just call? I would’ve, um, picked up. You could’ve gotten more sleep..” Jeremy replied, guilt in his tone, “I’m sorry if I worried you.”

“No, no. Worried? I don’t get worried.” Mike grinned smugly at his coworker. He leaned back in his seat. The brunet gave him a doubtful look in return.

“Did the night go alright? Any close calls?” The day guard asked. He couldn’t see any injuries signifying something had happened, but that didn’t mean an animatronic didn’t get to the brunet.

“Well,” Jeremy spoke, “It was, um, actually really easy.. I only had to use the mask once or twice, and that was it.”

Mike nodded at him. He was happy to hear nothing had happened. He still deeply wished he had made it inside the building.

“I can work tomorrow night alone, too.. maybe even the whole week.” Jeremy suddenly suggested.

“I’ll see you tonight.” The day guard quickly shut the idea down. If every night was going to be like last night, he would have a heart attack before the week finished.

”I, um, I can definitely handle a Tuesday night alone. It’s only a little harder than Monday. You should get some more rest..” Jeremy argued.

“.... Will you call me if anything happens?”

“You’ll be the first person I call.”

Mike sighed deeply. 

“I’ll consider it.” He reluctantly said.

“I-I’ll see you tomorrow then...! Sleep well.” Jeremy smiled satisfactorily, proud he had managed to change the day guards mind, and began turned. He gave one last wave before making his way out of the parking lot.

“.. Bye.” Mike muttered. He put his head in his hands and rubbed his eyes.  


_He’ll be okay. He’ll be okay._  
  


The day guard looked off to Jeremy, who was barely in distance. He bit down hard on his lip.

_ I hope. _


	4. Game Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After seeing Mike’s love for his game boy, Jeremy takes it upon himself to get a ‘thank you’ gift.

Mike had brought up his game boy a handful of times, but Jeremy didn’t truly understand the full extent of his love for the little handheld console until it was finally brought into the office.

The day guard waved it over his head with a wide grin as Jeremy came down the hall. He looked genuinely enthusiastic, as if he was about to show the brunet a miracle. 

“This is the best thing anyone’s ever made. Nothing’s gonna beat it.” Mike told him as he sat down. 

“So it.. um.. it’s like a tiny game console?” Jeremy asked. 

“Hell yeah it is. I can’t believe you’ve never seen one before.” The day guard handed it to him. He stared down at it in amazement and fear. The little device looked awfully fragile. His naturally shaky hands forced him to hold it over the desk, just in case.

“The power buttons on the top. I’ll get my games out.” Mike reached behind him into the bag that hung from his chair. He pulled out two little grey squares with different images on them. 

Jeremy slid the little grey button at the top to the right. The system made a quiet, high pitched noise. The words _Game Boy_ appeared on the screen in black letters. 

“Try this one out.” Mike handed him one of the grey squares. He carefully pushed it into the big opening at the top. The words on the screen changed again. _Pac Man_ flashed across the screen this time, with a smaller word underneath it telling him to press start. He looked down at the buttons on the little console.

“How do I, um, play?” Jeremy questioned as he blankly stared at the buttons. He’d never seen anything like them before. There had never been any game consoles in his house. They were always in commercials on tv, but he had never actually seen one in real life before. 

“Press start, and then move around with the control pad. You want to collect all the little dots and avoid the ghosts.” Mike told him. He pressed his finger to the start button, and then to the control pad. Jeremy unsurely nodded, his eyes scanning over the controls repeatedly. 

When he pressed start, the screen changed. It became a little maze. The brunet pressed down left on the control pad. As he did, the little circular character in the middle of the maze moved. 

Mike looked over the screen and instructed him on where to go. The buttons on the little console were so small that hitting them properly proved to be kind of difficult. His fingers didn’t move fast enough to the correct buttons for him to make many short turns. Nevertheless, he was still thrilled about playing on it. The game itself was simple and fun, Jeremy just wished he could understand it better.

“Oh- I died.” The brunet sadly announced.

“You’ve got two lives. If you die again, you can just press start and retry. It’s all about getting the highest score you can” Mike told him. Jeremy slowly nodded.

“See that number at the top?” The day guard pointed to the large number under the words _high score_. It read 85220. Underneath it was Jeremy’s current score, 350. 

“I’m a fuckin’ master at this game,” Mike grinned widely, “It was the first game I ever got.”

“How much have you, um, played this?” Jeremy couldn’t imagine how long that would take. He was already struggling to stay alive on the first level. 

“It’s practically the only thing I do when I get home. It’s really easy, you’ll get the hang of it quickly.” The day guard assured. The screen flashed as the little circle disappeared, and Jeremy was back at the title screen. 

“Maybe...” The brunet unsurely replied, “Am- Am I okay to keep playing..?”

“Play as long as you want. Don’t even worry about working. I’ve got it tonight.” Mike told him. Jeremy’s eyes widened. He quickly glanced at the little clock on the cameras. 

“Oh, is it twelve already..? I can, uhm-“

“Nah, just keep playing,” The day guard interrupted before he could argue, “Just make sure to put the mask down when I tell you to.”

“Thank you..! I’ll- I’ll be really careful with it.” The brunet moved his chair as close to to the desk as he could so he could feel safer holding the game boy.

Jeremy quickly found himself addicted to the game. In one hour, he’d managed to get his score up to 19600. It was nowhere near Mike’s score, but it still made him smile proudly.

“I’m almost at twenty thousand..!” Jeremy excitedly told his coworker.

“Damn, I’ve gotta get my score higher before you beat it.” Mike grinned at him. The brunet happily nodded. He moved the game boy closer to his face. It was no wonder to him why Mike loved the little device so much. The controls were easier to memorize than he had first thought, and the game itself could keep him entertained for hours.

At some point, Mike had switched the games for the brunet. He briefly explained the new game, _Asteroids_ , and went back to working. It was much harder than _Pac Man_ had been, but Jeremy was still able to get the hang of it.

Mike reached over the brunet’s head and pushed his mask down. Jeremy jolted up at the sudden movement, his eyes quickly going up to the middle of the office. Toy Bonnie had just started climbing out of the vent. He wandered toward the desk, his eyes scanning the two guards. The animatronic rabbit turned away from them after a moment and made his way down the hallway.

“Shit, I didn’t mean to scare you.” Mike pulled the brunet’s mask back up for him. 

“You- you didn’t scare me.” Jeremy quickly defended, his cheeks reddening.

“Whatever you say.” The day guard hummed with a small smirk. He looked over at the game boy.

“Do you, um, want to play for a little? I probably need a break anyways.” Jeremy set the little console on the desk. 

“Hell yes. Wait until you see how skilled I am.” Mike stood up immediately. The two traded seats.

The day guard kicked his legs up on the desk and leaned back in his chair. He grabbed the game boy from the desk, turned it back on, and began playing. 

Jeremy really _had_ underestimated Mike’s love for his game boy. The day guard didn’t say a word for as long as he had the little console in his hands, and it’d been at least an hour. The brunet glanced over at him as he wound up the music box. He didn’t want to accidentally break his coworkers concentration by speaking.

“Fifty eight thousand,” Mike finally announced, “I’m the fucking best.”

He turned, proudly showing the brunet his screen. 

“That’s amazing..! You’re really good.” Jeremy complimented. 

“I can do even better. Just you wait. I bet theres some world record I can beat.” Mike moved the game boy back to his lap. He switched the two games out. Jeremy glanced at the grey cartridge on the desk. 

“Do you- you only have those two?” He tilted his head curiously. 

“Yep. Got it right before I left my parents house, bought two games, and couldn’t afford anymore after that. I should’ve bought more before I was independent,” Mike sighed, “Well, at least I got some good games.”

That was all the convincing Jeremy needed. He had to get Mike a new game for his game boy. It was the least he could do after the other guard had generously worked two shifts for him almost every day, one shift without any pay. If Jeremy couldn’t even bother to get him something, he’d never forgive himself. 

The next afternoon, the night guard sat in bed as he looked over the paper that kept track of the money in his account. He had started doing it as soon as he’d gotten a debit card to save himself from bothering the tellers at the bank every time he wanted to buy something. Four paychecks had been given to him from Fazbears so far. He was sure the only money he had spent so far was his for his phone bill, but he double checked just in case he’d gotten something wrong. 

He made his way to the store ten minutes later. The closest game store was down the block, along with a variety of other shops. 

Jeremy frowned at the busy street before him. He’d never liked crowds. They made his anxiety far worse than it already was. He kept his head low as he made his way through the crowded sidewalk. 

The game store was far less crowded. That didn’t stop his anxiety. He bit down gently on his lower lip as he slipped into the aisle for game boy products. The few people in the store probably weren’t looking at him, but he swore he could still feel them doing it. 

Jeremy’s eyes scanned over the games available. There were so many, it was a bit overwhelming. 

His eyes stopped at a game with a cover made almost entirely of blues. On it was some strange turtle-looking creature with metal pieces sticking out of it. _Pokémon_ was sprawled across the title in big, yellow letters. Over the game, a sign saying _new release_ hung. There was only one copy of it on the entire shelf. It must have been quite popular.

Jeremy brought it over to the counter. The cashier smiled at him.

“Good choice. That’s our last copy in the whole store.” She told him. He smiled back at her and nodded. 

He wondered if he needed to wrap it as he walked home. Then again, he really didn’t want to bother his father about where the wrapping paper was. Mike didn’t seem like the type to care about that stuff anyways. 

“I hope he likes this..” The bruney quietly sighed, his eyes fixated on the game in his hands. He completely doubted his judgement on games, so he would have to wait and see how the day guard reacted. 

After school the next day, Jeremy headed straight to the pizzeria. The game was safely wrapped in a grocery bag in his backpack, right on top of his school supplies. The day guard usually didn’t work with him on Mondays and Tuesdays anymore, and Jeremy really didn’t want to have to give it to him right before they defended their lived against animatronics. 

Fazbears was much, much louder than it was at night. Kids ran around all over the place, trying to climb on tables or running around the animatronics. The main three toys turned their heads to him. Toy Freddy and Toy Bonnie stared directly at the night guard with half lidded eyes, while Toy Chica quickly turned her head back to the children around her.

Mike stood near the prize corner. He quickly took notice of his coworker approaching him and frowned.

“Why’re you here? Something happen?” He asked when the brunet was within a few feet of him. 

“I, um, I‘m sorry for interrupting your work. I brought you something as a thank you.” Jeremy grabbed his backpack and opened the front of it.

“Thank you for what?” The guard questioned further. The brunet turned slightly away from him and took the game out of the grocery bag. 

“For always working with me.” Jeremy smiled as he handed him the game. 

Mike took it. He didn’t react at first, just stared blankly at it. The brunet began to worry. He hoped he didn’t upset the other guard somehow. 

“Holy shit. This is for me?” Mike gaped. His eyes moved repeatedly from the game to his coworker in shock. He flipped it over and briefly read the back.

“Jeremy.. this is amazing.” He smiled. The brunet internally sighed in relief. 

“You want the money for this? I don’t have it but I can probably pay you back in a month.” Mike offered.

“It’s a gift, you don’t- don’t have to pay me for it. I’m not sure if the game is good or not, so if you end up not, um, liking it I can return it..”

“I’ll keep you updated. I’m gonna cherish the shit out of this.” The day guard told him. 

Jeremy spent the next night shift thinking about if the game he’d picked out was good enough. He didn’t know anything about video games. Technology had never been in his favor. He barely understood how the electronics in the office worked. 

As the bell in the office tolled, the night guard stood. He waited a few minutes, not wanting to have to walk around while the animatronics still were, and then made his way out of the building. 

Mike’s car was parked right outside. Jeremy immediately rushed over. Several times, the day guard had been parked outside and completely passed out. It was terrifying the first few times, but after the fourth time the brunet had gotten used to seeing him asleep. 

This time, Mike was wide awake. He rolled his window down as the brunet approached the vehicle. He had on an abnormally large grin. 

“Get in.” He said. His hand moved his right and opened the passenger seat door. 

“H-Huh?” Jeremy sputtered. 

“We’re going for a ride.” 

“Right now?”

“Right now. Cmon.”

The brunet got in. His eyes went to the game boy on the arm rest. Mike pulled out of the parking lot and began down the road. 

“Jeremy, I’ve been playing that game since I got home last night. I haven’t slept. It’s better than my other games combined.How long do you have before school?” Mike asked.

“I should, um, be home in a half hour.” The brunet replied.

“Thats plenty of time. Okay, so in this game you’re some kid and theres these weird ass creatures roaming around the world. The whole point is catching them all,” Mike explained, “Then there’s these gyms where you gotta compete to be the best trainer of all. I’m on the fourth gym right now.”

“Why do you need to catch all of them..?” 

“No fuckin’ idea. But man, it’s so fun. I got this thing called a Blastoise. It’s that thing from the cover, this giant blue turtle that one shots everything it comes near. Wanna know what I named him?”

“What?” 

“Jr. Like Mike Jr, but without the Mike part cause that’s my name,” Mike smirked, “This things been accompanying me my whole journey and if anything happens to him I’m gonna smash my game boy.”

The brunet put a hand over his mouth and laughed. 

“I have another one, this bird looking thing with three heads. His names Coffee, then my Ninetails is named Bean. Like coffee bean! I’m a fucking genius.”

“Coffee bean, huh?” Jeremy giggled, “That’s, um, clever.”

“Last but not least, I have this big ass fire dog. I didn’t name him because Arcanine is badass already. He started off as this little fire puppy, then all of a sudden he turned into fire dog,” Mike described to him, “Oh, and they gave me an option to name my rival. I named him after you. He’s kind of an ass, not like you at all, but I still wanted to put you in the game and I didn’t want to name an animal after you.”

“That’s sweet.” Jeremy was happy he had even been considered.

“If I knew how much of a dick he would be I would’ve named the kid I play as after you. He keeps appearing in random places and trying to kill my guys. But I’ve beat him every single time...”

Mike suddenly paused. He looked off to his left for a moment. 

“Thanks. Seriously. This is probably the nicest thing anyones ever got me. Means a lot.” He thanked. 

“Thank _you_ ,” Jeremy replied happily, “You- you deserved it.”

“Deserved it?” The day guard rose a brow, his head shaking in disagreement.   
“Not sure about that, but I’ll take it. Anyway, where do you live? I can talk more about _Pokémon_ tonight.”

“13 Collins Street.” 

“Jeez, thats like a twenty minute walk from the pizzeria. How can you do that everyday? Sounds horrible.” Mike turned the car around. His coworker shrugged.

“I walk a- a lot. It’s not bad.” Jeremy disagreed. 

“Well, I’m already there at six anyways. You can catch a ride with me if you want. Won’t bother me.” The day guard offered.

“Oh, it’s okay..! I’m, um, fine. It’d probably be out of the way anyways. I’ve never had trouble walking.” 

“Whatever you say.” Mike shrugged at his response. 

Jeremy’s house was a much shorter drive than he’d thought. It only took a few minutes for him to see the building in view. He pointed it out to Mike, who pulled over to the sidewalk right in front of it.

“Thank you for the ride..! I’ll see you tonight.” The brunet climbed out of the car. 

“Be prepared for tonight. I’m gonna be ranting for hours.” Mike warned. Jeremy laughed a little as he walked away from the car. 

He couldn’t wait to hear all about it. 


	5. Too Friendly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeremy’s always practiced kindness in his daily life. Apparently, it attracts more than people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: slight implications of abuse

_ Be kind, even to those who aren’t kind back.  _

It was what Jeremy grew up knowing. His mother implanted it in his head everyday. Most of her words focused on teaching him kindness, respect, and understanding. Even when she left, he still kept it close to his heart. 

That went for animatronics, too. Mike constantly told him he had no need to even spare a second glance at the robots. He could easily ignore them, or yell at them like Mike constantly did, but he instead chose to do what he knew best. Even if they were just animatronics, and they were trying to kill him nightly, he couldn’t help but treat them with a little bit of respect. 

Jeremy never went specifically out of his way to help them. It was just little things that made him feel like he was carrying out his moms words. It wasn’t uncommon for Toy Freddy to drop his microphone in the hallway and completely forget about it. The brunet always picked it up and set it back on the stage before he left. Almost every night, Toy Chica‘s beak would go missing and randomly appear back on her at six. There were a handful of times where it wouldn’t. Once, she’d dropped it while crawling out of the vent, but the brunet could usually find it under a table in one of the party rooms. He always promptly handed it back to her before she got back on stage. 

The first time he’d done it he got a long, blank stare from the animatronic. Mike quickly pulled him away from her. It was uncomfortable but Jeremy knew if he didn’t do it, Mike would probably have to go searching for it later on.

The brunet had also recently started trying to reassemble Mangle. _Trying_. He knew nothing about animatronics, so it was a hit or miss situation.Almost every single time, he put something back wrong.

“Why is this so- so hard?” Jeremy frowned as he stared at the broken mess of random parts. He was positive he’d just messed her up more.

Mike stood next to the sitting night guard and patted his shoulder. 

“Fritz and I have been reassembling this thing right after every shift and it always gets messed up the next day. Doesn’t like being touched too much either. Why don’t we just start the shift?” 

“... Okay.. sorry.” The brunet apologizedto Mangle. She crawled away from him, clearly unsatisfied. 

“You don’t need to be nice to them. They’re trying to kill us.” Mike muttered as Jeremy picked up Toy Chica’s beak one morning. 

“It’s, uh, not out of the way so I might as well do it.” The night guard explained. 

“But they’re trying to _kill_ us. It’ll find its stupid beak eventually.” Mike argued. Jeremy only shrugged. He began his way toward Toy Chica, who stood near the stage with the two other main animatronics. Mike quickly followed after him. He always accompanied him whenever he went near the animatronics, not wanting to give them an opportunity to do something. 

She opened her large palm as the brunet approached. He set it on her hand. 

“Why does she take it off?” Jeremy turned to Mike. 

“No clue. I wish she didn’t.” The day guard sighed. The two turned and began their way toward the entrance. 

Heavy metal footsteps followed them. The brunet quickly turned back to the animatronic. She was much closer than before. Her eyes were locked onto him.

_“M-Mike..”_ He whispered, his eyes darting up to his coworker. The day guard grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the robot.

“Fuck this. It’s six, they shouldn’t be doing this.” Mike pushed the brunet in front of him. They rushed across the room quickly. The loud footsteps continued to follow them at a quick pace. 

Mike slammed the door open. It loudly swung into the wall. He moved Jeremy outside first, then himself, and pulled the door closed. 

“Wh- why did- why did she..?” The brunet stared at the door fearfully. Toy Chica stood right outside. Her eyes were still locked on Jeremy. She hadn’t even put her beak back, far too focused on him to do so.

“I think you pissed it off,” The day guard gaped, “How about we just leave it’s beak alone from now on?”

Jeremy nodded with a frown. 

It began happening every morning. Even when Jeremy left her alone, she made her way over to him and followed him until he left the building. Nothing bad had happened yet, but he was still put off by it. 

“You sure you wanna work alone tonight? I don’t want that thing chasing you in the morning when I’m not there.” Mike offered from the other side of the phone. Jeremy currently sat in the office, his phone pressed between his ear and shoulder as he scrolled through the cameras. The night was just about to start. 

“I’m okay..! I can, um, get to the door before she even gets close to me.” He assured.

“... Alright. Just be careful. I’ll see you at six.”

The call ended. A loud silence filled the open room. Jeremy sighed as he put his phone back. No matter how much Mike said he didn’t worry, it was obvious how much he did. After every lone night shift, he waited in the car for the brunet and had him go over the entire night. If it made Mike feel better, Jeremy would gladly go along with it. 

The night started off completely normal. It was a Tuesday night, meaning only the toys and Foxy were online. While _every_ animatronic intimidated the night guard, Foxy and Mangle had always been his biggest worries. Mike had made it clear on his first night that any mistakes wouldn’t be forgiven by the two foxes. They wouldn’t stuff him. They’d tear him apart until there was nothing left.

Things began to take a turn at four thirty. Jeremy flashed the light into the right vent. Toy Chica was just about to crawl out. He quickly pushed the mask down. As he did, she began crawling out of the tiny vent. She stood up and stared at him, scanning him.

When she didn’t leave, the night guard felt his heart stop. He had messed up somehow. He hadn’t been quick enough, or the mask wasn’t down all the way. It was all going to be over.

“ _Have you seen the night guard_?” The animatronic suddenly questioned.

Jeremy’s eyes widened. She didn’t know, not yet at least. He shook his head.

“ _He was right here_!” She let out a high pitch sound that was almost similar to a whine. The animatronic bird wandered to the night guard’s left and sat down next to him. 

_Oh no._

“ _He will come back. He will._ ” She assured herself. It was clear she wouldn’t be leaving soon. Jeremy wasn’t sure what to do. He could barely see with the mask on, but if he took it off she would kill him. His eyes slowly went to the camera system. 

A red warning sign flashed on the screen. The music box was about to run out. He quickly flipped to the camera and pressed on the little button. She didn’t seem to register that while his upper body looked like an animatronic, his horribly shaky hands were very human. He hoped she never did. 

The next half hour didn’t change much from how it usually went besides the looming threat of the animatronic right beside him. She hadn’t said a word since she first entered. In fact, she didn’t even react when other animatronics walked in. They gave her a weird look but left as usual. Jeremy couldn’t figure out why she was the only one staying in the office. She always seemed to be off around the night guard. 

Toy Chica finally stood up sometime around five. The brunet flinched at the sudden movement, but quickly turned his attention to her. 

“ _Where is he_?!” She angrily yelled out. Her arms swung out on each side. 

Jeremy was hit hard in the head by the robotic arm. The chair fell back, knocking him to the ground. The back of his head hit the tile floor. He put a hand over his mouth, trying to conceal his cry.

But it was too late.

“ _There you are_!” The animatronic bird chirped happily, “ _I’ve been searching you for you all night long._ ”

The mask had been shifted upward when he’d fallen. Half of his face was completely exposed. Toy Chica took off the mask and threw it to the side. 

His foot was grabbed. The animatronic started to drag him down the hallway. He tried to kick her off, but she didn’t even react when his foot hit her.

Hot tears poured out of the night guard’s eyes. He was going to die. He would never be able to leave home, to live freely and happily for the first time. He wouldn’t see the sun rise or fall again, the changing of the seasons, the beauties of nature outside. No one would ever find him. 

Mike had warned him. His body would be tossed into the dumpster as soon as management found it. They’d tell his father he never showed up for work. There would be no evidence of what had truly happened. No one would remember Jeremy Fitzgerald. 

He could never properly thank Mike, the man who actually _worried_ for his well being. He was offered rides every single morning. He got a pat on the back whenever he did something right, and understanding when he didn’t. 

The brunet let out a loud, shaky sob. He covered his eyes with his sleeve. Mike would be so disappointed when he found the body. Jeremy didn’t want him to see it. He didn’t want the day guard to remember him like that. 

She suddenly stopped. Toy Chica lifted the night guard into his arms. He slowly uncovered his eyes. They had gone past parts and services, and were heading into the women’s restroom. 

He was dropped on the floor. The brunet stared up at her in fear and confusion. He really, really didn’t want to die in a bathroom that he _definitely_ wasn’t supposed to be in.

The animatronic bird crouched down in front of him. She firmly grabbed his hands and pulled him forward so he sat up.

“ _You’re not ~~him~~_.” She spoke.

“Wh-What?” The brunet sniffled.

“ _You’re Jere-em-ey_ ,” She cooed, “ _Is that correct_?”

He was _extremely_ confused, but nodded at her anyways.

“Y-Y-Yes..” He wiped the stray tears away. Toy Chica put her large hands on both sides of his face and yanked him forward roughly. 

“ _You shouldn’t wear that uniform. The others don’t see Jere-em-ey. But I can tell you’re not ~~him~~_.” She told him. 

“... Who..?” His curiosity peeked. He wondered if they meant Mike. 

The animatronic didn’t say anything. She sat down in front of him. One of her hands moved from his cheek to the top of his head. She pushed off the hat and patted his head. Jeremy was surprised it’d even stayed on that long. 

“ _You are so cute. If only you didn’t have that uniform._ ” Toy Chica finally removed her hands. She looked down at her palms. On each one was fair-colored concealer. 

“ _Your skin is coming off!_ ” She showed it to him, “ _I really had no intention of hurting you, Jere-em-ey_!”

It must have rubbed off onto her hands when he was pulled forward. He wanted to check his face out and see the damage, but he didn’t dare move in front of the robot. 

“It’s- it’s just- just makeup..” He informed. 

“ _Makeup? Makeup.. I’ve heard of it. But I thought it was primarily a women’s hobby._ ” She brought up. 

“Oh, um.. it’s just for fun.” Jeremy lied. Hewasn’t about to open up to a robot about his life. 

A loud, ear piercing static filled his ears. A broken animatronic hand grabbed at the corner wall. Mangle creeped into the restroom, her one eye fixated on the night guard. She opened her mouth wide.

“ _You cannot be in here_!” Toy Chica shot up. She grabbed the fox by her leg and tossed him out. 

While the two were distracted, Jeremy backed himself into the corner. He rapidly grabbed his phone, flipped it open, and pressed on Mike’s contact. It rang for only seconds before the phone was picked up.

_“Jeremy..?”_ A tired voice asked.

“M-Mike- I- I need help,” The brunet whispered into the phone with clear panic in his voice, “The mask got- got knocked off and Toy Chica- she- she-“

He froze up as the animatronic turned back to him. He closed the phone and quickly shoved it back in his pocket. He silently pleaded that Mike would come to his aid.

“ _I’m the only one allowed in here. Well, unless we’re talking about the other Chica.._ ” She paused, “ _But she wouldn’t dare come near me._ ”

“Um.. why won’t- won’t she?” Jeremy asked. He felt if he could keep some sort of conversation going, she would be too occupied to kill him. 

“ _None of the old ones like us. They’ve never given a reason why. Not like they could if they wanted to. Their voice boxes are very broken, especially the other Chica’s. But she wouldn’t ever talk to someone in your uniform. None of them would... well, maybe Foxy.”_ She explained.

“Oh.. why is- is the uniform..?”

He shut himself up when he saw her eyelids lower. It must have been some kind of sensitive subject. Toy Chica sat back down in front of him.

“ _I remember when you first walked into this place_ ,” She suddenly brought up, “ _You started that night. I heard you say something to that other man_.”

The animatronic leaned in slowly. She placed her hand on his head once again. The brunet winced under the heavy metal hand. He nervously looked away.

“ _You said you liked Chica when you were a child. How long ago was that_?” Toy Chica coaxed.

“Um.. a- about eight years.” He answered, his voice shaking. 

“ _Eight years. So long ago. You know, I’m just like her. We’re practically twins. I do all the same things, but better_,” She argued, “ _You always bring my beak back to me in the morning. Even when I attack you. Does that make me your favorite?_”

Jeremy couldn’t believe the scenario. He wished he’d never, ever started returning her beak to her. He just wanted to leave the restroom, but there was no way that would happen without the animatronic getting angry at him.

“Y-Yes.” He told her. It wasn’t a total lie. He didn’t really think about his favorites in current times, but he grew up absolutely loving Chica. 

“ _I knew it_!” She patted his head. With each pat, the night guard jumped slightly. He forced himself to smile at her. 

“ _You’re my favorite human_ ,” Toy Chica chirped in a pleased tone, “ _The only good human who wears that uniform. The only good **adult**_.“

The animatronic moved even closer, her face almost right up against his. She grabbed his shoulders. 

“ _You wouldn’t hurt anyone here, would you? I know you wouldn’t_.” She spoke.

“Why- why would I want to?” Jeremy tried to move his head back, but he hit the back wall of the bathroom. 

“ _That’s what adults do. They hurt us. They hurt ~~them~~._” Toy Chica pulled her head and hands away. She crossed her legs and put her hands in front of her.

“ _Let’s be friends_.” The animatronic bird offered. 

“Um, sure..” Jeremy agreed. 

“ _Great! Maybe the others will see the good in you too, Jere-em-ey,_ ” The robot shook her head, “ _But I doubt it. Everyone is so... well, the most I could do is talk to the puppet. She’ll listen to me._ ”

The brunet’s eyes widened. The puppet. The music box. He reached up and tugged on his hair nervously. 

“I r-really don’t- don’t want to cut this- this short but if I don’t get, um, get back to the office-”

“ _She’s already waiting for you_ ,” Toy Chica interrupted, “ _If you go back now, she’ll tear you limb from limb. Her music stopped ages ago.”_

“But- but what if she comes in here?” The night guard’s eyes shot to the open entrance. He would have never guessed the puppet was a girl. Then again, he wouldn’t have ever been able to tell if she was a boy either. 

“ _She won’t want to. For all she knows, I’ve already gotten to you_.” The animatronic bird laughed. 

Maybe it wasn’t such a bad night, Jeremy thought. Toy Chica didn’t seem to want to kill him. In fact, it was almost like the exact opposite. There was no telltale sign that she was being truthful to him, but he couldn’t hear any evil intent behind her words. 

The animatronic’s head turned to the door. Her eyelids dropped halfway down. Jeremy watched as she stood and began toward the entrance to the bathroom. Her feet practically stomped against the tile flooring. 

“ _Someone’s here_.” 

Jeremy barely heard her speak. He shrunk back as the robot stomped back over to him. His arm was roughly grabbed and yanked upward. The brunet stumbled forward, but was quickly thrown back into the wall. A large hand went over his mouth. 

“ _JEREMY_!”

A loud, deep voice called from far away. Mike had arrived. But no bells had chimed yet. It wasn’t six. And the puppet was waiting in the office.

He grabbed her arm and pushed back, trying to force her off of him. Her grip only got tighter. The pressure against his jaw made his head ache badly.

The brunet lifted his leg. He aimed his foot at her knee and kicked hard. The animatronic’s leg bent back slightly, knocking her off balance. Her body fell to her right, forcing her to remove her hands so she could rebalance herself.

“Sorry! I-I’m really sorry!” Jeremy apologized as he ran out. He quickly turned the corner and ran toward the office.

Mike and the puppet were entangled together. The day guard was pinned underneath herwith his hand on her head. Her long limbs were tightly wound around his neck.

“Mike! I’m right here!” Jeremy called to him. He quickly grabbed the puppet’s arms and yanked them backwards. Mike took the opportunity to pick her up by the waist and slam her down. Jeremy quickly stepped out of the way as she was lifted up again. Her limbs continued to aim for the day guard, but she had no chance to reach him. He raised the puppet over his head and threw her down the hallway. 

Ceramic hit tile, and a loud crack sounded through the building. The puppet slowly lifted her head. She looked back at them from the floor. A large, chipped line ran from the top right of her head to right her eye. 

“Fuck off!” Mike screamed, “You want me to break your whole head?!”

That was all it took for her to crawl away.The day guard bent down and put his hands on his knees. He let out a long, shallow breath. 

Finally, the chime came. It was officially six. Jeremy put his head in his hands, his eyes watering again. His shoulders shook as he let out a quiet sob. 

“I’m- I’m sorry,” The brunet cried, “This is all- all my fault. I tried- tried so hard but sh-she- she wouldn’t leave the office and I- I..”

Two arms gently wrapped around him. He buried his head into Mike’s chest. The day guard was so _warm_.

A hand began to rub circles in his back. There was a long, comforting silence that made the brunet want to fall asleep in his coworkers arms. He squeezed his eyes shut. 

“Jeremy,” Mike spoke after a moment, “How about we get out of here? You can explain everything in the car.” 

“O- Okay.” The brunet sniffled. He slowly lifted his head. Mike kept a hand on his back as they made their way out of the building.

Toy Chica stared from the stage as they went to the entrance. When Jeremy glanced over at her, she lifted her hand and waved slowly. A little bit of reassurance went over him. He was glad he hadn’t totally angered her.

A chill hit the brunet as he stepped outside. It was freezing out. The sun was just rising, but he could barely tell due to how cloudy it was. The sky was almost entirely grey. 

Jeremy quietly thanked his coworker as the car door was opened for him. He climbed in. His eyes went to the keys that were still in the car. Mike hadn’t even bothered to shut it off before he went into the building to help him. The heat in the car was turned on to the highest it could.

“So, she knocked the mask off?” The day guard asked as he got in. Jeremy rubbed his eyes and nodded. 

“She- she came in and stayed, trying to- to find me. Then- then she got frustrated and swung her arms out, and- and I fell and the mask came off. So she, um, she took me into the girl’s bathroom.”

“The fuck? Really?” Mike rose a brow. The brunet nodded again.

“She talked to me- and then M-M- Mangle came in but she threw her out and, um, she just talk- talked to me. But- but then you came in, and she pinned me to- to the, um, wall but I got away and..”

Jeremy bent down, gripping his hair tightly. He could feel more tears coming. He really didn’t want to cry again. 

“I thought- I thought I was going to die. I- I thought.. I..” His grip on his hair tightened. 

“You’re hell of a lot braver than I am,” Mike told him, “You kept yourself alive that entire time. That’s so fucking impressive, Jeremy. I wouldn’t of made it out alive if I were in your spot. You even got that stupid thing off me. I really thought I was gonna be killed by some fuckin’ puppet.”

The day guard put hand on top of the brunet’s head and ruffled his hair. He grinned down at him.

“I’m so proud of you. You’re kind of a hero, you know that? Tell you what, let’s go get some coffee from some fancy-ass place to cheer you up.” 

Jeremy smiled a little. He looked up at the day guard and nodded. 

“Great. Uh.. by the way, what’s all over your face? Your skin’s all mismatched.” Mike pointed out.

The brunet looked up at the rear-view mirror. His smile dropped. The concealer he always wore was badly smudged. He silently thanked Toy Chica for only smudging his cheeks. It must not have been set enough, because Jeremy could see streaks of his own tears in his skin. He would beat himself up later for it, but at the moment he needed to fix it immediately.

“Why the hell do you have make up on? I mean- I won’t judge, but, no one’s gonna see you at work but me.” Mike asked as the night guard began trying to blend it back in. 

“Um, well..” Jeremy frowned, “It’s..”

There was an awkward pause. Mike grabbed the gear and put it in drive. He began his way out of the parking lot.

“So what’d she talk to you about?” Mike brought up.

“Apparently she, um, heard me say Chica was my favorite on my first night. And she talked about her dislike for adults and our _uniforms_ . But she wouldn’t tell me why..” Jeremy informed.

“Well, of course they hate security. They try to kill us every night.”

“But.. why..? Is there some sort of reason for it?” 

“Not that I know of,” Mike shrugged, “They were the same at the old place. Whoever designed those assholes _really_ fucking hated people.”

“Yeah, maybe..” 

The brunet’s eyes went out the window. Fazbears was still in distance. He leaned back and sighed. 

That whole place was a mystery. 


	6. Sick Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mike’s never taken care of anyone before. Things change when Jeremy comes in sick.

As soon as Jeremy sat down in the office, Mike knew he wasn’t feeling well. 

If he was wearing any makeup that day, it really wasn’t doing much for him. His face was a bright red, and his under-eyes were much darker than they’d ever been. The usual vibrant green in his eyes was replaced with a duller and gloomier shade.

“You’re not looking too hot.” Mike pointed out.

“I’m just tired.” Jeremy yawned. It was an obvious lie, but the brunet seemed fine running with it anyways. He was shivering badly in his seat and sniffling every second. Mike glanced down at his watch.

It was too late for the brunet to safely leave the building. He was surely too sick to be working. The day guard grabbed the masks from underneath the desk. He put one over his coworkers head and shoved it down. Jeremy winced at the movement.

“You’re too sick to work. Keep it on and give me the flashlight.” Mike demanded. The brunet lifted the mask up and pulled the flashlight close to him. 

“I wouldn’t of- of come in if I thought I couldn’t work.” He huffed. The day guard widened his eyes at his coworkers instant disagreement. Not once had he been so outspoken. Nevertheless, Mike wasn’t backing down. He reached over and opened and his palm. 

“Okay, but you did. Now hand it over.” His voice made it clear that there was no room for debate. Jeremy frowned at the flashlight in his hands. He set it down in Mike’s open hand. 

“I could watch the, um, cameras.” Jeremy suggested. 

“Put the mask down take a nap or something.” Mike shut him down. He could feel the brunet’s upset gaze on him as he turned toward the cameras. He heard sniffling, and quickly glanced back just to make sure he hadn’t accidentally made his coworker cry. 

Jeremy rubbed his almost-bright red nose. He sniffled again, but not due to any tears. It was just his sickness. Mike quietly sighed in relief. He wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if he made the night guard cry, even if he was in the right. 

Though Jeremy swore to the day guard that he would not fall asleep, his head was slumped back against the office chair within the first hour of the night shift. The mask was over his eyes in case any danger wandered in while he was out. Mike kept glancing over at the night guard as he checked the lights and wound the music box. It was a Friday night. An animatronic came into the office almost every minute. Mike wished his coworker would have just not come in, or at the very least picked a much less risky night to be sick. 

He heard the brunet sit upward around four, right as Toy Bonnie was coming in. Then, there was coughing. Jeremy bent his head down and shoved his arm in front of his mouth. Mike didn’t have to say anything for him to know he needed to quiet himself somehow. He sunk his teeth into his arm and forced himself to hold it in.

The animatronic looked over them suspiciously. It’s eyes lowered, but it turned around and walked out anyways. Jeremy began coughing again. It was a dry, painful sounding cough that made Mike cringe. He put a hand on the brunet’s back as he checked the lights. 

The coughing finally stopped. Jeremy quietly apologized for the inconvenience. He was given a pat on the back, before Mike turned his focus back to making it through the night.

When the bells chimed at six, Mike gently shook the brunet awake. He pulled the mask up. Green eyes stared tiredly up at him. 

His face was much redder than earlier. Mike lightly pressed the back of his hand against Jeremy’s forehead. Though he was shivering, his face was extremely hot. 

“You okay?” The day guard asked. He got a slow nod in reply. 

Jeremy stood up. His legs shook underneath him. He looked as if he was about to collapse. Mike kept close to him as they walked out of the office. His eyes refused to leave the brunet. They just had to make it to the car, and then Mike would keep his coworker out of the office until at least Tuesday. If that meant him taking the extra shifts, he could care less. 

“Wa- Wait..” Jeremy suddenly stopped next parts and services. He put a hand over his mouth, bent forward, and sprinted toward the bathroom. Mike hesitantly followed behind. He stopped right at the entrance. 

The day guard could hear heaving coming from the bathroom. He’d never been the biggest fan of vomit. Part of him wanted to leave the area as quickly as he could. But, he wasn’t going to just abandon Jeremy. Especially not while the poor night guard was incredibly ill. 

He heard a sink running, and quiet crying. Jeremy stepped out of the bathroom. He had tears in his eyes. Mike could tell they were less from being genuinely sad and more-so because of how under the weather he was. 

It wasn’t a surprise when the brunet passed out in the car. One second he was listening to Mike’s lecture about the dangers of coming in sick, and the next he was slumped against the seat with his eyes closed. 

As Mike pulled his car to the side of the road at the Fitzgerald residence, he realized he _really_ didn’t want to wake Jeremy up. Part of him wanted to drive around until whenever the brunet woke up on his own. Then again, Jeremy had a family waiting for him to come home. Mike didn’t want to worry them, whoever they were. 

“Alright, let’s go.” The day guard muttered. He didn’t _have_ to wake his coworker up. If he could somehow be careful enough, he’d be able to just hand him right over whilst keeping him asleep. 

Mike slowly reached over and unbuckled the seat belt. He carefully moved it around Jeremy’s arm. Thankfully, the brunet didn’t even stir. 

He got out and walked around the other side of the car. Slowly but surely, he managed to get the brunet into his arms without waking him. He was almost taken aback at how light Jeremy was, and how easy it was to carry him to the door. 

Mike knocked once on the wooden door. There was no reply. He knocked again. No reply. He assumed at first that no one was home, but when he looked to his left he could clearly see a car in the driveway. 

“Fuck, alright. Guess we’re taking a trip down to my place.” The day guard turned away, his brows furrowed in confusion and annoyance. He decided Jeremy’s family really sucked. 

Mike’s apartment had never been what people would call _presentable_. He was rarely home, especially recently, and never really knew how to clean up after himself. He didn’t even own a vacuum, or a mop for that matter. To him, disinfectant wipes and a good broom were the exact same thing. His logic could easily be proven wrong by the food boxes and cans littering every surface of the house, the cobwebs in each corner, and the stains on the counters that he never put effort into getting out. But, he didn’t really care. 

While Jeremy slept on the couch, Mike went into his kitchen in search for soup and some water. He knew he had water, every house had it, but there was a low chance that food was even in the house. The day guard ordered out almost everyday. Grocery shopping turned out to be too expensive sometimes. He only kept food in the house that he considered essential. That included instant coffee, milk, frozen meals, and at least one bag of chips. There was no way he would have soup anywhere. 

“Alright, well.. shit.” Mike scowled as he rechecked his nearly-empty cabinets. The brunet could wake up at any moment. He needed to eat something.

The day guard threw a blanket over Jeremy, rushed back out to his car, and drove to the market. His boss had just given out paychecks the night before, and all his bills were paid for the month. That _probably_ meant he could afford more than just some soup. 

He grabbed two boxes worth of soup packets, some crackers, and a thermometer from the store. Even if Jeremy only stayed until the afternoon, he wouldn’t mind having soup for a meal. It would be a good change in his diet of pizza and Chinese food. 

Jeremy was thankfully still asleep when Mike got back. If he’d woken up in some strange apartment alone, it would definitely terrify him and that really wasn’t the impression the day guard wanted to make. 

Mike went to the stove. He grabbed one of the few pans he had out of the cabinet. It was round and deep, probably a good soup pot. He was nowhere near a good cook. In fact, he wasn’t confident in his ability to boil the soup mix as he read through the instructions on the back of the box. The water had a specific measurement for it. There were no measuring cups in his apartment. 

The day guard murmured an apology to his coworker as he poured some water into the pot. Badly cooked soup had never killed anybody, hopefully. At least Jeremy would get to eat _something._ Horrible soup sounded better than nothing. He stopped when the pot was around 1/3 full and put it back on the burner. Next, the little packet of soup mix was poured into the water. It was supposed to sit and boil for a few minutes. After that, it would be done. He turned the burner on. 

A quiet yawn from the other room quickly caught the day guards attention. He stepped into the living room. Jeremy was sitting up on the couch, looking around at his surroundings nervously. His eyes stopped at Mike. He seemed to realize where he was and laid back down. 

“I’m making you soup. Sorry if it sucks.” Mike apologized. He grabbed some water from the kitchen and set it on the end table next to the couch. The brunet smiled up at him.

“Thank you.” He responded in a raspy voice. 

“I tried to bring you home but no one answered. You fine staying here awhile?” Mike questioned. He headed into his bathroom, opened the cabinet, and grabbed his ibuprofen. It was the only type of pill he bothered to keep around. Whatever head trauma he’d suffered as a kid had made him susceptible to headaches. Almost every day he would find himself having to take ibuprofen.

“That’s fine.. sorry..” Jeremy murmured in reply. He closed his eyes, quietly groaning. Mike opened the bottle of pills as he went back over to the couch. He set two of them next to the glass of water. 

While the brunet took the medicine, Mike got out a bowl from his cabinet. He went over to the pot. There were no ladles in his house. At most, he had a spatula and one wooden spoon that definitely couldn’t hold liquid. 

He lifted the pot and slowly tilted it over the bowl. When the bowl was almost full, he set the pot back on the burner. 

Mike turned his head slightly toward the living room. He could hear the brunet coughing. Then, there was sprinting. The bathroom door shut. 

The day guard set the bowl of soup on the end stand. He decided to grab his game boy, too. If Jeremy wasn’t able to fall asleep, he could at least enjoy himself somehow. 

The brunet left the bathroom after a few minutes. His eyes were terribly watery again. He whispered an apology as he sat back down on the couch. 

“Eat up. After that, I’m taking your temperature and your going to bed.” Mike grabbed the blanket that had at some point fallen onto the floor. It was the only blanket in the apartment, the one he kept on his bed. He couldn’t see a point in keeping more than one around.

“Th- thanks..” The brunet leaned over the stand. He took the pills with the water and grabbed the spoon. 

“Is it, er, okay?” Mike asked, watching as Jeremy took his first bite. There was no immediate look of distaste. Instead, he was given a pleased smile and a nod. The day guard grinned widely. He felt his confidence rising. If he could boil water with some soup mix, he could do anything. 

Once Jeremy had set the bowl of soup back on the end table, Mike grabbed thethermometer from the kitchen. It clicked in him as he went back to his coworker that he had no idea how to work a thermometer. There weren’t many times in his life that he could remember being sick enough for his parents to bother checking him for a fever.

Mike noticed the button on the top of it. He pressed his finger down on it. The thermometer let out a quiet beep.

“If it’s higher than a hundred we’re going to the hospital.” The day guard affirmed. He moved the thermometer toward his coworker. 

Jeremy took it from him. He put in his mouth and under his tongue. There was a long pause as they waited for the thermometer to signal it had done it’s job. 

Finally, there were three beeps. The brunet took it out and looked at the number first. Then, he showed it to Mike. 

“Ninety-nine point eight.” The day guard read aloud. That had to be a fever. Not enough to go to the hospital, but still a fever that needed to be monitored. 

While the brunet peacefully slept, Mike sat on the little bit of couch that wasn’t occupied and picked a random movie playing on his tv to watch. It was set to the lowest volume setting it could go. When Mike picked up his game boy to play, he made sure to lower it’s volume too. 

The apartment was the quietest it had ever been. The day guard refused to even move from his spot in the couch, not wanting to risk waking Jeremy up. He’d never been a fan of complete silence. It made him think too much about things he _really_ didn’t want to relive, or question things that could never be answered properly. Ultimately, he would be proud of himself later for being able to stay sane in the quiet apartment for so long. 

At some point, Mike fell asleep too. Weekends had always been the days he got most of his rest. He knew if Jeremy woke up, there was a big chance he would too. 

He proved himself right when he was awoken hours later as his ears caught Jeremy sit up. Mike stood up immediately and went to get the rest of the soup from the pot. While it heated in the microwave, he laid out a few crackers on a plate. He was almost positive crackers were good to eat when someone was sick. 

Jeremy happily took the plate and soup from him. 

“Sorry for- for coming in sick. I didn’t think I was, um, this bad.” He suddenly apologized.

“As long as you don’t try coming in Monday, I’ll forgive you.” Mike said as he sat back down, bringing the box of crackers with him.

“I really need, um, the money. It’s an easy night anyways.” Jeremy disagreed. 

“If it’s such an easy night then I’ll work it. You can take the money.” The day guard reached into the box and grabbed a few crackers. He shoved them in his mouth. 

Jeremy gave his coworker a look. Mike grinned back at him. 

“Eat some more then go to bed.” He reached over and ruffled the brunet’s hair. As he did, he noticed Jeremy’s cheeks get considerably redder. He turned away, laughing at the reaction. 

After another coughing fit, Jeremy was back to sleep. He stayed that way until late in the afternoon, woke up, threw up, and went right back to bed. When he didn’t wake up by eleven, Mike decidedly moved to his bedroom. He kept his door wide open, just in case, and went to bed. 

There was something comforting about the brunet being just in the other room. Somehow, it made sleeping easy. 

Mike woke up to the smell of coffee. It instantly got him out of bed. He hadn’t had a good cup of coffee since Wednesday afternoon. The lack of caffeine made his head pound. He reached into his drawer, wanting desperately to change out of the work uniform he’d slept in. The uniforms were on the cheaper side and uncomfortable to wear for long amounts of time. 

“How fantastic it is that I get to wear this stupid thing fifteen hours a day.” He muttered to himself as he changed. The door to his room was still wide open, yet he was doubtful Jeremy would wander in. Mike wouldn’t be surprised if the brunet was still fast asleep. He didn’t spend too long pondering it. The day guard threw on the closest sweatshirt and made his way into the living room.

Mike froze, his eyes widening. He scanned the room once, then again, as he tried to take in what he saw.

The entire room was _spotless_. All of the cans and takeout boxes were gone. His coffee table, end table, and tv stand looked like they’d been wiped down. The floors were completely rid of any dirt that had been there just the night before. Mike wasn’t sure he even bought the apartmentthat clean.

Jeremy peeked his head out from the kitchen. He didn’t look good enough to be walking around. Mike personally thought he looked worse than the day before. 

“Good morning...! I made you coffee.” The brunet greeted. His voice still had quite the strain behind it. 

“You’re sick, Jeremy. Lay back down before you get sicker.” Mike scolded. When he saw the brunet’s happy look fade, he frowned guiltily. The brunet walked past him and laid back down on the couch.

The kitchen had been cleaned just like the living room. Mike swore he could see the counters shining. He made a mental note that Jeremy needed to come around more often. 

A cup of coffee sat prepared on the counter. Next to it was his jug of milk with the cap taken off. The brunet even took out a spoon for him to use. Mike checked his watch. It wasn’t even nine yet. 

He took his freshly prepared coffee out to the living room with him. Jeremy moved over slightly as he sat down.

“This place looks livable now. I didn’t even think that was possible. You’re a fucking saint.” Mike thanked. 

“You need more- more cleaning supplies. How do you clean your furniture?” The brunet replied. 

“I broom it. How else would I clean it?”

“You... _what_?”

“I _broom_ it. With the broom.” 

Jeremy stared at him in shock. He put a hand over his mouth as he began laughing. 

“What’s so funny?” Mike crossed his arms. 

“Nothing, nothing.” His coworker looked away as his laughing fit continued. There were tears in his eyes. Jeremy took a deep breath, before slowly turning back to Mike with a wide smile.

“By the way, you should to grocery shopping soon. I was gonna make you breakfast but all I could find was frozen dinners, soup, and coffee..” 

“I don’t need more than that. Who eats breakfast anyways? That’s not a real meal.” The day guard scowled.He didn’t need breakfast foods around the house. He usually wasn’t even home to eat breakfast. 

“When I feel better I’ll make you breakfast and pr- prove you wrong.” 

“I’m holding you to that.” 

Mike grabbed the box of crackers from the end table. He first handed the brunet a few, and then reached in and grabbed himself some.

“You called your parents at all?” He brought up as they ate, remembering Jeremy had a family that was definitely worried about why their son hadn’t come home yet. 

The brunet shot up, gasping. He reached his hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Judging from the sad look in his eyes, Mike figured it would’ve been a good idea to remind him a little sooner. 

“Everything fine?” He peered. The brunet gazed over the screen on his phone, looking visibly upset at what he was reading. He flipped it shut and sighed. 

“I- uh- can I stay- stay here for a little longer?” Jeremy quietly requested. 

“Stay as long as you want.” The day guard shrugged. He didn’t mind the company.

The brunet shoved the phone back into his pocket. He curled up in the blanket and leaned over toward Mike. His head rested right next to his coworkers legs.

The day guard heard a very soft ‘thank you’. He glanced over, watching as Jeremy’s eyes closed. 

Mike put a hand on his head and gently ruffled his hair. The apartment, for once, felt sort of comfortable. There was a gentle warmth in the room that hadn’t been there before. The feeling was safe and cozy, and made Mike wonder how he could keep it there. 

“Night, Jeremy.” He whispered.


	7. Breakfast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeremy makes up for showing up to work sick. Some good cooking does the job.

Mike had to admit he was a little excited to have Jeremy over again. He was promised a free meal weeks ago when the brunet had been sick. Finally, he would be getting his well deserved payment. 

“So what’re you gonna make?” The day guard asked as he started his car up.

“It’s gonna be a surprise.” Jeremy replied. He lifted the bag he brought into work that day onto his lap. 

“How surprising can breakfast be? There’s only three options. Toast, oatmeal, and cereal.” Mike argued. 

“Well, I’m gonna really gonna surprise you if that’s how- how you think.” The brunet smiled. He pulled a small, white paper from his bag. His eyes scanned over it for a brief moment before he slid it into his pocket.

Jeremy had informed him the night before that they would have to go to the store. Apparently, he couldn’t make a good breakfast out of the only two things currently in Mike’s apartment; coffee and frozen meals. 

The two ended up going into the store together. Mike originally had no interest in it, but before he could say anything he saw the nervous glint in Jeremy’s eyes and quickly offered to go in for him if he needed to. 

“This your first time grocery shopping?” Mike questioned. Jeremy grabbed a nearby cart and pushed it in front of him. He nodded.

“Do you still have milk at your house? Maybe we should just get some anyways...” The night guard pulled the sheet of paper back out. He looked over it again. 

“I ran out yesterday. The hell do you need milk for?” Mike crossed his arms. The only thing milk could possibly be used for in cooking was cereal. He was almost positive that wasn’t what his coworker had in mind. 

Jeremy somehow made grocery shopping much less horrible. He had a positive energy that surrounded him. Mike wondered how he managed to always keep that energy. 

“Wait- what the fuck is that?” The day guard asked as Jeremy set a little brown container into the cart.

“Cinnamon.” The brunet replied

“The fuck is cinnamon?” Mike rose a brow. He swore his coworker was just making up words. 

“It’s strong but really sweet. I think you’ll like it.” 

“Are you making sweet shit? I hate sweet shit.” 

“Not all of it will- will be sweet.” Jeremy assured. 

Mike didn’t understand how so many ingredients were needed for breakfast. The cart was practically halfway full with all kinds of food and ingredients. He didn’t understand _at all_ how Jeremy would make a meal out of sugar, butter, bread, and some other ingredients he’d never heard of. 

“I think I figured it out.” The day guard announced as they got back in the car. Jeremy looked at him doubtfully.

“The answer isn’t butter and toast.” He replied with a smile. 

“Never mind.” Mike grumbled. 

Jeremy decided to put most of the groceries away. He had a much better understanding of organization than his coworker, who wasn’t even sure if butter needed to go in the fridge or not. 

“Do- do you mind if I change? I really don’t want to cook in this th- thing.” The brunet tugged at the collar of his shirt uncomfortably. 

“Go ahead. Want some coffee?” Mike made his way over to the box of instant coffee on the counter. When Jeremy shook his head, he grabbed only one mug from the cabinet. 

The day guard leaned back against the counter as he took a long sip of his coffee. No matter how many new things he tried, he was positive he would never get sick of instant coffee. He loved things that couldn’t be messed up. 

Jeremy came back into the kitchen wearing the slightly oversized green sweater Mike had met him in. He pointed toward the living room.

“I’m being kicked out of my own kitchen?” The day guard slowly stood up straight. 

“It can’t be a surprise if you watch me make it.” Jeremy complained. 

“I won’t figure it out even if I- hey, wait a second!” Mike called as two hands pressed against his back. He could feel Jeremy _trying_ to push him, but he wasn’t moving.

“I get it, I get it. I’m leaving.” The day guard gave in. He stepped away from his coworker and into the living room. 

“It’ll only b- be a half hour at most...!” Jeremy told him as he left. That sounded like an excruciatingly long time to wait for food. Mike could easily make toast in two minutes. Then again, he really wanted to taste whatever the brunet was cooking. 

A half hour seemed like a good amount of time to play Pokémon, so Mike ended up changing out of his uniform and grabbing his game boy. He laid on the couch with his feet hanging off of the armrest. 

Whatever Jeremy had cooking, it smelt _good_. Mike peered at the entrance to the kitchen. Part of him wanted to go in and see what it was. 

“You almost done?” He called, hoping for a yes. 

“Five more minutes...!” The brunet softly called back. Mike let out a groan. He laid back down. Breakfast didn’t need to take so long. He couldn’t think of a single breakfast food that took more than three minutes to make. Jeremy must have been some kind of chef, he thought. He seemed to know what he was doing when they were grocery shopping. 

Jeremy walked out of the kitchen with a bottle of maple syrup in his hands. He had powdered sugar on his cheek and partly on his sweater.

“Can- Can I set some stuff up on the coffee table?” He asked. 

“Sure. You need help?” Mike slowly sat up. He put his game boy on the stand next to him, not wanting it to be anywhere near food. 

“I’ve got it. Do you want more coffee?” Jeremy looked over the almost empty mug as he set the maple syrup on the coffee table. 

“Nah. I do need some water though.” The day guard responded. As he stood up, Jeremy rushed back into the kitchen. Mike heard a faint ‘I’ve got it’ and decided to sit back down. He didn’t mind the treatment the brunet was giving. 

Jeremy came back with a glass of water in one hand and a little plate in the other. The plate had some powdered sugar and a spoon on top of it. 

“We’re eating sugar?” Mike stared at the plate in confusion.

“It’s a topping for what I made.” 

“You can’t be serious.”

“It’s a really good topping..!” The brunet huffed. He set the items in his hands down on the coffee table. 

Mike really didn’t see the appeal of eating sugar, but held his tongue. He couldn’t judge it before he tried it.

“Okay, it’s all done..!” Jeremy carried two plates into the room. Each one had little sausages, scrambled eggs, and two pieces of what looked like toast.

“I knew you were making toast.” Mike grinned. The brunet say next to him. He set the places on front of him.

“You didn’t kn- know what kind.” Jeremy handed him a fork. 

“What other kind is there?” Mike deadpanned. 

“It’s French toast. Try it..!” The brunet eagerly replied. It looked too sugary for the day guard’s taste, but he still took a piece and bit into it.

“Fuck, this is amazing as hell! How’d you make this?” Mike turned to his coworker, amazed. Though it was sweet it had a savoriness that he deeply enjoyed. 

“It was really easy. You should try it with toppings...!” Jeremy suggested. 

The day guard added on some maple syrup and powdered sugar. He took another bite. 

Jeremy only got better to have around every time Mike spent time with him. He leaned back, taking another big bite with one hand and patting his coworker’s head with the other. 

“It’s better without the sugar and syrup. But even with it, this is still really fucking good.” Mike commented. His head began to hurt from all of the sugar. He really didn’t care. A headache was worth it in exchange for a good meal. 

“The sausage and eggs aren’t sweet if you need a break.” Jeremy gestured to the plate still full of food in front of his coworker. 

“I haven’t had scrambled eggs since I was a kid.” Mike sighed happily as he lifted the eggs to his mouth. He faintly recalled his mom making them almost every weekend.Well, until he when he started waking up at twelve in the afternoon everyday. 

“My mom d-did too..! She cooked breakfast almost everyday. I-I- I remember she used to love making pancakes especially.” The brunet recalled. 

“No wonder you cook so well. You have a chef teaching you at home.” Mike pointed out. 

“Uh.. yeah!” Jeremy hesitantly replied. His eyes darted to the ground for a quick moment.

“Thank you for taking care of me while I was sick. I know I was kind of, um, needy.” He brought up. 

“You weren’t needy, you just didn’t know how to sit down. You cleaned my entire apartment for fuck sake. How the hell did you even do that? I messed everything up the day you went home.” The day guard responded with clear humor in his tone. 

Jeremy laughed at Mike’s words. He looked around the apartment, that had somehow reverted back to it’s old self since he’d last been there. 

“I’ll clean it again, don’t worry. Then, maybe I can show you how to keep it clean.” He told the day guard. 

“How about you clean it again today and in exchange I order out for lunch?” Mike suggested, his own idea making him grin. He _really_ wanted the clean apartment back. Everything had become so much easier to find. It all went downhill after Jeremy left.

“Okay..! The first thing I’m doing is washing the couch cushions. Maybe we should go get a mop too.. your floor was really hard to clean without it last time.” The brunet whined. 

“Just use the broom.” Mike argued as he shoved a sausage into his mouth. It was a little cold from sitting on the coffee table for so long, but that didn’t stop it from being just as good as the french toast had been. 

“Fine, but y-y- you have to help me with the kitchen at least. Your trash is _overflowing_ , Mike.” Jeremy complained. The day guard couldn’t see the issue. Trash wasn’t ready to be taken out unless it was overflowing. He didn’t want to waste trash bags. Judging by the look Jeremy gave him, he assumed that wasn’t a thing other people normally did. 

“I’m gonna be a huge-ass burden on you, but I guess I can’t so no since you made this really fucking good food. Just remember I don’t know shit about cleaning.” Mike warned. 

“I’ll show you. It’ll be fun...! By the time we finish, we’ll be ready for lunch.” Jeremy eagerly replied. Mike really didn’t get the excitement of cleaning, but something told him doing it with the brunet wouldn’t be so bad. Afterward, they could eat whatever garbage Mike ordered and take a nap together.

_That sounds really good.... maybe not the nap part._

He felt a painful ache in the back of his head that stopped him from reacting to his own thoughts. Mike glanced over at Jeremy, who was already cleaning off the coffee table. The brunet looked back at him cheerfully. 

“Oh- are you okay?” He commented, noticing Mike’s pained expression. Before he could get a reply from the other, he rushed to the bathroom and grabbed the bottle of ibuprofen from the cabinet. 

“Here..! You don’t have to help clean if you don’t feel well.” Jeremy handed the bottle over.

“Let’s.. Let’s just get started.” Mike opened it. He took three out and threw them in his mouth, not feeling up to reaching all the way for his water. 

“Don’t rush yourself. I’ll start and whenever you feel up to it, feel free to join.” The brunet insisted. 

Before any disagreement could take place, Jeremy quickly made his way into the kitchen. Mike bit down hard on his lower lip. His eyes wouldn’t leave where the brunet previously had stood. He clenched his fists, but felt no anger. 

It was something much worse than anger, a dangerous emotion he swore off years ago. 

_Fuck_.


	8. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mike learns what goes on at the Fitzgerald household.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Heavy references to abuse

Mike couldn’t remember when he started giving Jeremy a ride home everyday. It had something to do with a very rainy morning, and the day guard worriedly rushing to the pizzeria so his coworker wouldn’t get drenched. After five days of raining and Mike giving him a ride, it became a habit that he couldn’t break.

The brunet discouraged it for the first few rides, complaining about it being too out of the way for Mike and that he probably _needed_ a walk more than anything. It only took a few days of rides for him to realize how tiring walking could actually be.

The car ride went practically the same every morning. Jeremy would run Mike through the night, they’d talk about whatever decided to come up, and then he would be home. The day guard always made sure to stay until he could see his coworker got inside safely. It had been one of the few lessons his parents taught that had actually stuck. 

He was glad he waited. Twice, Jeremy had not been able to get into his house. The first time it had something to do with a change in locks. The second time, Mike wasn’t given a clear answer on _why_ the brunet couldn’t get into the house. But he noticed a lack of keys that usually could be seen sticking out from Jeremy’s pocket. He didn’t think too much about getting a reason, he just wanted to make sure his coworker wouldn’t be left outside. It seemed best to assume whoever he lived with didn’t think he was responsible or something. Based on the only experience Mike had with them, the family seemed like the type to do that sort of thing.

He just wished he _knew_ who the family was. 

One rainy morning, he found out.

Mike watched Jeremy walk up the stone path that led to the decently sized house. The outside reminded him of most suburban homes, with a nice yard and neatly trimmed bushes around it. It _screamed_ domestic family life. The day guard bet they lived quite moderately. If that were the case, he wondered why Jeremy even needed a job like Fazbears. 

When Mike saw the brunet unlock the front door, he took it as his que to leave. He grabbed the gear and began to shift it into drive. 

A far-away whimper stopped him. He shot his head back to the doorway where his coworker still remained. The only thing he caught was a large hand with its fingers firmly wrapped around brown locks of hair. Before anything else could be witnessed, Jeremy was yanked inside the house. 

It took a lot out of Mike to not get out of the car. He sat in a stunned silence, staring at the shut door. It should have been something he figured out sooner. The night guard came in everyday with concealer all over his face and Mike didn’t even _think_ anything of it. 

“I am so fucking stupid.” He whispered to himself. The two saw each other almost everyday, and he still couldn’t put the pieces together. Mike wanted to slap himself. He squeezed his eyes shut and put his head in his hands. 

_That doesn’t matter now. I need to get him out of there._

The day guard pulled himself together quickly. A plan came together in his head, one that would hopefully let Jeremy know he had somewhere better to go. He looked one last time at the house before he pressed on the gas and drove home. 

  
  


The very next day, Jeremy woke up to several buzzes from his phone. He sat up in the twin sized bed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. The sun hadn’t even hit his window yet. It had to be around six in the morning. He pulled his phone out from under his pillow and flipped it open. There were four new messages.

_ 6:08AM _

_ Mike: _

_ you awake _

_ 6:08AM _

_ Mike: _

_ get dressed we’re getting coffee _

_ 6:09AM _

_ Mike: _

_ i dont wake up this early for anyone hurry up _

Jeremy frowned at his phone. He couldn’t remember a single time Mike woke up before eleven on a weekend. He typed back a reply confirming he’d be outside soon, threw on some clothes, and grabbed his concealer from the dresser. Next to the dresser was a mirror that hung on the wall. It had a large crack in it, but it still did its job and that was the only thing that mattered to Jeremy. He leaned forward toward it, looking over his face with a frown. It was more of a mess than he’d thought it would be. Specifically, his right eye had become horribly swollen over the night. 

His phone buzzed again just as he started to open up the little bottle of concealer. The night guard leaned over toward his bed and opened it.

_ 6:15AM _

_ Mike: _

_ by the way youre sleeping over _

The brunet glanced from his phone to the mirror. His frown deepened. While a night away from home didn’t sound unappealing, part of him wanted to reject the idea and instead spend the entire day sulking in bed. Heconsidered that the following week would also be spring break, meaning he had five whole days to sulk in bed. It only took a moment of contemplation before he replied with an ‘ _alright_.’

Jeremy twisted the cap of the concealer off. He pulled out the applier and moved it up to his swollen eye. Even if it would hurt, he knew the injuries needed to be covered. 

He hissed loudly at the stinging feeling the concealer left on his eye. It _burned_. But Mike could be waiting outside at any moment. The brunet sunk his teeth deep into his lip to keep himself quiet. Tears brimmed at the edges of his eyes as he applied it. After completely covering his right eye, he applied some more concealer on top of the large bruise on his jaw and the smaller but still very prominent bruise under his left eye. 

Blending was the only part Jeremy felt good at. He‘d recently picked up a little sponge from a nearby store that was made specifically to help blend. It became a lot easier to make the concealer look natural. He frowned disappointedly at his swollen eye that still stuck out, but the concealer could only do so much.

The last thing to do was setting powder. Jeremy learned the hard when when he first started applying concealer that if it wasn’t set, it got _everywhere_. He remembered when he’d touched his face in class and felt the concealer instantly come off. That afternoon he picked up some setting powder and a brush. 

He heard another buzz. Jeremy rushed to the window as he brushed the powder on. Mike’s car was parked in front of the house. The brunet quickly finished up, grabbed his backpack, and threw any necessities in. He only really needed the makeup, some clothes, and his phone charger.

Jeremy quietly made his way down the stairs, not wanting to wake his sleeping father. The walls in his house had always been irritatingly thin. He made sure to slowly pull the door shut as he left the house to keep it from making any noise. 

When his phone buzzed again, he turned away from the door and huffed at the day guard. 

“Sorry...! I just woke up,” Jeremy tiredly apologized as he climbed into the car, “I thought you hated getting up this early..”

“I wanted coffee. And food. I’m thinking that drive through coffee place.” Mike told him. He shoved his phone into his pocket and grabbed the steering wheel.

“I can m- make breakfast if you want.” Jeremy offered. He always ended up cooking something whenever he went over, usually breakfast after Friday night shifts. 

“Nah. We’re getting one of those donut boxes, my treat.” Mike announced. That sounded like a really appealing idea to the brunet. It had been years since he last had donuts.

“Oh, thank you..! But.. don’t you not like sweet things?” 

“I only like the old fashioned and the chocolate frosted ones. We’ll get those and then whatever you want.”

“Do you want me to pay for half of it since-?”

“I’ve got it,” Mike interrupted the brunet, “What kind of donuts do you want?”

“I like the strawberry and chocolate frosted ones.. are you sure?” Jeremy worriedly asked. He was much more used to his coworker trying _not_ to pay for things. 

The two arrived at the apartment with half a dozen donuts and two fresh coffees. Mike sat down on the couch first. He set the donut box on his lap and opened it. 

“You really don’t need to take your shoes off. I could care less about dirt.” Mike told the brunet as he kicked off his shoes at the door. 

“I c-c- care about dirt. I’ll be the one cleaning it up.” Jeremy reminded. The day guard grinned at him. 

“Oh yeah, forgot you do that. Anyways, sit down.” He patted the open spot. The brunet did as told. He took one of the strawberry frosted donuts and bit into it. He smiled a little at the sweet taste. It was just as good as he remembered. 

Jeremy glanced over at the other man. He couldn’t help but notice that something seemed off. Mike sipped at his coffee rather slowly, his eyes focused on the floor. He looked as if he was thinking deeply about something, but the brunet wasn’t sure what. 

“Are you okay..?” He asked in concern. The day guard looked back at him for a moment before his eyes went elsewhere.

“Just fine. Eat up.” He responded. Jeremy nodded unsurely. As he took another bite, he felt a hand pat the top of his head. A burning sensation came from the part of his scalp that had been pulled around just the other morning. He unwittingly flinched away from the touch, surprising both him and his coworker. The warm hand quickly moved away.

Before he could apologize, Mike already began speaking.

“I’ll be right back.” He muttered. He stood up, turned, and went into the bathroom. 

Jeremy leaned back against the back of the couch, sighing deeply. He didn’t remember things being so _awkward_. He couldn’t think of anything he’d done wrong the last time they’d been together. It had to have been something he had unknowingly said or done. If that were the case, Mike hadn’t made it clear yet. 

He finished up the donut he had and curled up on the couch. The day guard had never been so distance before. He had seemed normal in the car. Jeremy wondered if it were because he didn’t pay for the food. Mike had been struggling with money since before they met. He internally scolded himself for not trying harder to pay. It wouldn’t of hurt to put a little more effort in. Hopefully, the day guard wouldn’t hate him. 

Mike stepped out of the bathroom after a long period of time. He stopped in front of the couch, standing in front of the brunet with clenched fists. His shoulders were tense, his body was visibly shaking. It wasn’t clear what signal he was giving, but it didn’t feel like a good one. 

Jeremy instantly tensed at the day guard’s sudden body language. He replayed every interaction they’d had in the past few days, trying hard to search for something he’d done wrong, but nothing was clicking. He solemnly lowered his head.

“I-I- I’m sorry, for- for whatever I did,” His voice came out shakier than ever as he choked on his own words, “I’m- I’m really, really, really sorry- I’ll fix whatever I did, I promise-“

His hands were suddenly grabbed and gently squeezed. 

“Jeremy, I...” Mike paused, “ _I know_. Do you remember the other morning? When I drove you home?”

“Y-Yes, I do..” The brunet shifted uncomfortably. 

“I think there’s something you need to tell me.” 

An uncomfortable silence fell between the two. Jeremy glanced at the door, considering running out of the situation and never looking back. Deep down, he screamed at himself to stay in place. To just _admit it_. His eyes broke from the door and looked back to their intertwined hands. 

Something in his heart ached.

“I... I think I should go.” He whispered. It wasn’t the right time. It never would be. 

“We need to talk about this. I saw someone grab you and pull you inside the house,” Mike stated, “I can tell your eye’s all fucked up even under the shit you’re wearing, Jeremy. _What do you need to tell me_?”

His shoulders were shaking. He had a mixed look of fury and panic in his eyes that only made the man under him want to cower.

Jeremy yanked his hands away. He let out a loud sob as tears began to pour out of his eyes. It wasn’t something he wanted to ever talk about, not with anyone. Not even Mike. He didn’t need to be reminded of home.

The concealer began to shed with his tears. He could tell instantly when he wiped his eyes with his sleeve and saw the pale color had rubbed off on his sleeve. The sight of it only made him feel embarrassed. 

He could already feel the judgement from the other man, the _pity_. A large toll would surely be taken on their friendship. Anyone who had previously found out would never stop talking about it. It became every conversation the poor brunet could have. They surrounded him with questions, possible solutions, arguments over what was right and what wasn’t, but it always led to _nothing_. Inevitably, he would be forced to break off contact. 

_Because they always tell others. And it just gets worse, and worse, and worse._

His thoughts came to a halt as his chin was gently lifted. A wet rag was pressed against his swollen eye. 

Jeremy froze. He unsurely looked up at the day guard through blurry, tear-stained eyes. He could make out two bright blue eyes sympathetically watching over him. 

“I’m really fuckin’ mad, Jere. I want to beat the shit out of whoever did this to you. But if today isn’t the day for this then we’ll move on.” Mike told him. Jeremy picked up instantly that his coworker _really_ didn’t want to move on. He could feel the hand pressing rag to his eye was still shaking. Yet, he still respected the brunet’s privacy.

Jeremy let out a loud sob. He leaned forward and tightly wrapped his arms around Mike. Warmth enveloped him as he buried his head in the day guard’s chest. 

A hand went in his hair, lightly playing with the soft brown locks. It stayed close to the front of his head as if it knew where to avoid hurting the brunet. Jeremy unconsciously leaned into the comforting touch. His worries seemed to get farther and farther with each motion. 

It was a safe feeling that made him ponder if Mike would act like how others did. He leaned his head up slightly.

“If- If this is the only t-t- time this will be brought up.. I’ll talk about it.” He sniffled. 

“.. Alright. Whenever your ready.” Mike pulled away. He sat down next to the brunet and pulled him right back into an embrace. 

Jeremy took in a deep breath. He rested his head on Mike’s chest. 

“It’s just my d-d- dad and I. He’s always been like this. My mom left b- because of it. And she...” He hesitated, “... she didn’t ta- take me. I don’t... I don’t know why...”

The brunet stifled another sob. His hands tightly gripped Mike’s shirt. 

“He pr- promised he’d go to therapy years ago, ‘cause he d- doesn’t like what he does, but he still hasn’t and it’s just getting w- worse. That’s why I need to- to work at the pizzeria.. I’m gonna move out a- after high school.” Jeremy explained meekly. 

“You want to move in with me?“ Mike asked. The brunet’s eyes widened. While that sounded rather nice to him, he refused to let himself burden the man anymore than he already did.

“It- It’s alright..! I’m graduating soon anyway.. might as well stay the- the extra month.” 

“But what about after that? I know you’re saving money but the pay you get is shit. There’s no way you could have enough by now. Apartments around here aren’t cheap. The only reason I could afford mine was because I got a raise and picked the worst place I could find.” The day guard warned. 

His words were enough for Jeremy to start crying again. The brunet buried his back into the day guard’s chest. He could feel the shirt already drenched in his tears. He made a self note to make up for it later on, somehow. 

“If you’re dedicated to staying until graduation and getting your own place after that, then go for it. But if you can’t find a place you know you have somewhere to go. I know this place isn’t ideal and I can be a dick sometimes, but you’ll have a roof over your head.” Mike affirmed.

The tears that shed after that weren’t out of sadness. Jeremy couldn’t let go of him. In the back of his head, he knew that he was probably embarrassing himself even more, but it didn’t matter at that moment. 

“Anything else I should know about before we don’t bring this up again?” Mike questioned. Jeremy shook his head, nothing crossing his mind. 

“Let me see your eye.” The day guard picked up the rag again. Jeremy tilted his head upward and closed his eyes. He felt the soft fabric dab against his right eye. 

“I didn’t really plan out today besides the coffee and shit. Figured you might want to just lay around the whole day.” Mike said. 

“That sounds r- really nice.” The brunet agreed. He finally let himself pull away from the embrace. There was an instant loss of warmth that made him shiver. 

Jeremy took the rag so his coworker wouldn’t be forced to hold it. He pulled his knees up on the couch and hugged them with his free arm.

Mike stood, stepped into his room, and seconds later came out with his game boy and a blanket. The blanket was wrapped around Jeremy, who smiled up at him. He gladly accepted the gameboy that was handed to him. 

“TV is all yours too. I’m eating, drinking my coffee, and taking a nap. I woke up way too early.” Mike complained as he sat back down. He leaned over and grabbed his coffee and two donuts. One of them was handed to Jeremy.

“Pokémon’s in here.. what if- if I mess up your save?” The brunet pointed out worriedly. The last thing he wanted to do was accidentally ruin his coworker’s favorite game. 

“I just restarted it, you’re fine.” Mike replied. He kicked his feet up onto the coffee table and laid his head against the couch cushions. 

Jeremy leaned in. He moved the blanket over the day guard in hopes they could both share it. His idea seemed to work, as Mike instantly pulled him closer. His cheeks heated up. The feeling was much more than just comfort like earlier. 

It felt almost natural to rest his head on the day guard’s shoulder. He set the donut in his hand onto his lap and flipped the switch on the top of the game boy. 

He’d thank Mike properly with a proper dinner later on. But for the moment, cuddling seemed to make him just as happy as any home cooked meal.


	9. Break In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mike didn’t think he’d see a day where robbers targeted Fazbears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Violence, blood, injury

“Is it five yet?” Jeremy asked as he flashed the light into the hallway. He glanced at Mike, who glanced at his watch and sighed.

“Four fifty six. Why the fuck do Friday nights always pass by so slow? I feel like we’ve been here for hours.” The day guard replied in an annoyed tone. 

The night really _had_ been been passing incredibly slow. The animatronics were still keeping the two plenty busy, but Jeremy swore that each time his coworker announced the time things just got slower. Most Fridays seemed to be like that. He blamed it on his sheer excitement for the next morning when he and Mike would eat breakfast together and watch a movie. It had quickly become a tradition for him to come over every Saturday after work. 

“What’re you making when we get to my place?” Mike brought up. 

“I was th- thinking I could toast the bagels leftover from last week and maybe over easy eggs?” Jeremy suggested. 

“Er, what’s over easy again?”

“They’re fried eggs. You really liked them last time.”

“That sounds really fucking good right now. I hope you know your ruining my palette, by the way. I’m too accustomed to your cooking. The shit I used to eat makes me want to vomit now.” Mike complained.

The brunet shook his head, laughing. That sounded like more of a good thing to him than anything. Thinking about what Mike’s cabinets looked like before they met made him shiver in disgust.

“I can show you how to make yourself food, you know. We can start off r-r- really simple, maybe oatmeal or something..!” He suggested. The day guard shot him a look that screamed _thats not happening_. It was clear that he preferred the brunet coming over to cook instead. Jeremy preferred it that way, too. 

“You should at least learn the basics. Do you even know how to toast things?“ The brunet questioned with a cheeky smile.

“Of course I know how to toast things... probably.” Mike mumbled. 

“No wonder you-“

Their conversation stopped when a loud bang echoed throughout the building. It was quickly followed by the sound of something slamming down. 

Jeremy shrieked, springing backwards from the swivel chair and nearly knocking himself down. His arm was grabbed before he could fall back. Mike pulled him and the chair forward. 

“Wh- What was that..?!” The brunet whisper yelled, his voice shaking slightly. 

“Not something to worry about. They’re just trying to scare us.” Mike assured. To be sure of himself, he did a quick scan of each camera. Nothing seemed out of place besides the usual animatronics roaming around. 

“Can you see anything..?” Jeremy leaned over, peering at the camera system.

“Nothing. See, what’d I say? They’re just being dicks.”

“Okay...” The brunet hesitantly nodded. The animatronics _did_ like to mess with them sometimes. Then again, it didn’t involve something smashing. He quickly shook off the anxious feeling and averted his eyes back to the vents. 

Jeremy paused as he flashed the light in the hallway. His eyes widened. Before he could warn Mike, a deep voice called out to them. 

“Hands up!” 

Of all places in the world, robbers had to have chosen Fazbears. Jeremy wanted to think of some reason why anybody would pick a spot like the pizzeria, but his mind was too busy telling him to _stand up_.

Mike yanked the unknowingly frozen night guard upward. The man at the end of the hall slowly began walking closer. His left hand held a gun that was aimed directly at the two security guards. 

“Drop any weapons you’ve got! And then tell me how to turn these fuckers off.” The man demanded. While Jeremy had never gotten any sort of weapon from the company, he knew Mike kept a taser on his belt during work hours. As he glanced over, he noticed that at some point it had been placed down behind the camera system and out of the intruder’s view. As he looked back, he saw Foxy just coming out of parts and service.

Jeremy squeezed his eyes shut as soon as he heard the screech. A scream of agony followed right after it. He only opened his eyes again when Mike turned him and lightly shook him. 

“Don’t look into the hall. Keep your eyes on me, okay? I’ll see if there’s some sort of route open for us to leave.” The day guard squeezed his hand. 

Jeremy only frowned. He looked over his coworkers shoulder, watching closely as each camera was looked through. 

Mike stopped at the prize corner. Two men dressed entirely in black were looking around the area. 

“Fuck, call the cops. They planned this shit out. As soon as they see their buddy didn’t get to us we’re gonna have to deal with them.” Mike snarled. 

“The ani- animatronics are still active...!” The brunet sputtered, “There’s no safe w-w- way out..!”

“We’ll go through them if we have to. I’m not dying to metallic fucking animals, and neither are you. We have the advantage anyways. They don’t know those things will _kill_.” The day guard responded as he grabbed the taser off the desk and stuck it back onto his belt. 

There was no time to focus on the many aspects working against them, Jeremy tried to tell himself. He needed to try and be confident for both him and his coworkers sake. They’d made it through many harsh nights before. They could do it again, even with the new addition of intruders roaming the building. 

The brunet grabbed his phone from his pocket. He flipped it open and quickly went to the dialing option. 

A metal hand wrapped around his ankle and yanked him downward. He let out a cry as his head hit the tile floor hard. Jeremy looked back, trying to kick with his other foot at the animatronic pulling him backwards. Toy Bonnie glared back at him spitefully.

“Let go of him, you piece of shit!” Mike yelled. He grabbed Jeremy’s hand and stomped down on the blue rabbit’s foot. After a few stomps, the brunet felt the grip around his ankle start to loosen.

Until Foxy lunged into the office. He hit the desk first, knocking it and everything on it over. The camera system shattered as soon as it hit the ground. 

“Watch out!” Jeremy cried, “Foxy-!”

The animatronic fox’s screeching cut him off. He saw Mike yell something, but not a word could be made out. His ears rang painfully. 

Foxy slowly stood. His eyes shifted to the day guard. Mike yelled something again, something Jeremy almost made out as a string of curses and _‘be back’,_ but he didn’t have much time to reply. The animatronic holding onto him dragged him through the vent shaft. The last thing he could see in the office was his coworker being tackled to the ground. 

“Let g-g- go!” Jeremy frantically kicked with with his other foot while his hands tried to latch onto some part of the vent. He _needed_ to get back to the office before something happened to Mike.

Toy Bonnie let go of him for a single moment to crawl out of the vent. He didn’t have a chance to think before his ankle was firmly grabbed again. 

“GET THE FUCK OFF ME!” A familiar voice shouted from the other side of the vent. That was all it took for Jeremy’s adrenaline to start. He grabbed the nearest table leg and locked his fingers around it tightly.

_“You are so annoying.”_ The blue rabbit insulted. He leaned down and swiftly put two hands on the brunet’s waist. The painfully tight grip made tears form at the edge of Jeremy’s eyes. He bit back a quiet cry.

Toy Bonnie harshly lifted him up and pulled him back. It took a few tugs, but the night guards arms loosened out of sheer pain from how hard the animatronic pulled. He reached out for the table leg again and _almost_ got ahold of it until he was lifted up far higher than he would ever be comfortable with. The blue rabbit roughly pulled him back down and over his shoulder. 

Every hit the night guard deliveredseemed futile. Toy Bonnie hadn’t budged. Jeremy could feel a deep frustration bubbling up inside of him. He let out a cry of desperation as he raised his hand again and hit it against the hard metal.

The brunet’s eyes instantly took notice of the blood droplets on the blue metal. The knuckles on his right hand had lost an entire layer of skin, causing blood to soak his fingers. He hadn’t realized how _badly_ each hand hurt. 

Toy Bonnie swung the door to parts and services open. He tossed the night guard off of him. Jeremy landed painfully on his back. He let out a sharp breath, his eyes watering. 

The room was completely empty except for the two of them; and the unoccupied suits in the back. Jeremy sat up quickly. He pushed himself backwards until he hit the back wall. If he could distance himself from the animatronic, there was a chance he could dodge him and run out of the room. 

Instead, the blue rabbit stepped in front of the door. He leaned back against it and crossed his arms. 

_“What?_ _Think I’m gonna kill you_?” Toy Bonnie laughed, _“Toy Chica was right. You really are funny.”_

The brunet stared up in disbelief. The animatronics had _talked_ about him. He shivered at the sudden unsettling feeling he felt.

“Wh- What do you want with me? I can’t j-j-just stay here...!” Jeremy tried his hardest not to raise his voice, but he was too worried about Mike. He couldn’t bare to think what could be happening while he was trapped. 

_“Too bad._ _She told me to protect you while they deal with the more important threats._ ” Toy Bonnie explained. 

“But I’m not the only s-s- security guard working tonight...!” Jeremy argued. 

_“Don’t push your luck, night guard. I only saved you because Toy Chica told me to_. _She assured me that_ _you could not be ~~him~~_ , _that you could not hurt_.”

“Please, I n-n- need to get out there..!” 

_“Why?”_

“My friend is-is- is in trouble-!”

_“Oh. I don’t care_. _You can leave when the danger is gone_. _Enjoy the protection while it lasts_.”

“But-!”

_“Listen,”_ Toy Bonnie leaned forward, his tone much darker than before, _“I am trying to **protect** you! Did you not see the criminals_? _I don’t have to be doing this_. _How **easy** it would be to stuff you right now.._.”

Jeremy decided to stop talking before he got himself killed. The blue rabbit laughed again.

_“You’re smart._ _Maybe you really aren’t ~~him~~. And even if you are...”_ Toy Bonnie lowered his voice significantly, _“You’ll die by my hands, not theirs.”_

The brunet didn’t understand who the _he_ the blue rabbit mentioned was supposed to be. He vividly remembered Toy Chica referring to the same man. It would have to be a question for another day. He still needed to find a way to Mike. 

Jeremy reached for his phone. He frowned as he felt his empty pocket. It must have fallen when he’d fallen. The police couldn’t be contacted, and neither could Mike. 

“What if they’re a-a- after you and the- the others?” The brunet tried to reason, “If you let me out I could call the police..!”

“ _That won’t be necessary_ . _We are perfectly capable of handling the threats_.” 

Toy Bonnie clearly wouldn’t be convinced.Jeremy wanted to keep arguing. He wanted to scream, cry, _anything_ to get him out of the room. But it wouldn’t matter. The blue rabbit was set on keeping him there.

The doorknob turned. There was a heavy knock that definitely couldn’t of been a humans. Toy Bonnie swung the door open.

_“Good, you got him!”_ Toy Chica happily put her hands together as she walked in. 

_“I thought you and Toy Freddy were going to handle the situation.”_ The blue rabbit closed the door behind her. Jeremy quickly stood up.

_“Hello,_ _Jere-em-ey!_ ” The animatronic bird sprang toward him and hugged him. He tensed up immediately at the metal arms wrapped tightly around him.

_“The older models got in our way._ _Just as we cornered two of them_ , _we were rudely interrupted_! _Those things have no manners_.” Toy Chica told. 

_“What happened to the two others and the guard_? _I still feel five heartbeats_.” Toy Bonnie moved away from the door and toward the other animatronic. Jeremy spared a small glance toward the open door. 

He forced a yelp out of the back of this throat. Toy Chica’s arms left him instantly. She patted him on the head and turned to Toy Bonnie. 

Jeremy bolted out of the room. He slammed the door shut and turned to the office. It was completely empty except for an animatronic laying underneath the desk; Foxy, who had a large dent in his muzzle, a missing lower jaw, and a hook that had been left a few feet away. The brunet noticed a path of blood splattered on the floor. It went from the office to the hallway.

“ _ **JERE-EM-EY**_!” An angry voice screeched. The door to parts and service swung open. Toy Bonnie and Toy Chica stood there, staring at him with half lidded eyes. 

The brunet turned and ran. His foot his something on the ground, tripping him as soon as he began his sprint. He turned his head to what tripped him.

Jeremy covered his mouth, holding back a scream. A _body_ laid out in front of him; a completely torn up and bloody mess. The urge to vomit creeped up more and more. He forced his eyes away and rushed to stand back up.

A metal hand pulled him backward right as he stood. The animatronic bird squeezed his wrist. 

_“You’re staying here!”_ She affirmed.

“No I am not!” He yelled back. Toy Chica let go, her beak closing as she stared at him with fully opened eyes. 

Jeremy ran toward the main room. Static filled the open area. He forced himself to ignore it and instead turned his attention to the three men gathered near the prize corner. One of them was Mike; standing a little too close to the puppet’s box with his hands up. Two guns were being waved in front of him. 

“Turn them off already!” One of the intruders demanded, “This is fuckin’ ridiculous!”

Mike grit his teeth, glaring furiously into the other man’s eyes. 

“I told you they don’t-“

“We’re not stupid, asshole! You’re the god damn security guard, turn them off!” The other intruder interrupted. 

If it were after the animatronics they were after, they were going to be disappointed. The brunet couldn’t imagine a scenario where the animatronics _didn’t_ fight back. The Toys were _made_ to defend the pizzeria, and the older animatronics were uncontrollable. 

All of a sudden, the static got extremely loud. Jeremy jolted back. He hit the wall of the hallway, a small whimper escaping the back of his throat. The static thankfully masked the sound from the group of men at the prize corner. It would be the only time he ever felt grateful for that horrid noise.

Mangle hung off the top of the ceiling. She looked from him to the prize corner, his eye twitching back and forth as if there was a struggle inside of her. 

The broken down animatronic’s eyes finally stopped at the prize corner. He didn’t bother to look back at the night guard in front of her. She lifted herself back up onto the ceiling and crawled across the room. He stopped directly above one of the strangers. 

Just as the man looked up, Mangle lunged down. A high-pitched screech managed to pierce through the static. Jeremy cringed as he ran toward the scene. Even if it served as a distraction for the guards, he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself for letting two people die.

Mike ran at the other man while Mangle was the center of attention. He jabbed the taser into the man’s side and pushed him back. Jeremy swore he could see the man screaming as he ran to Mike, but it was covered up by the static. 

He was knocked down right as he was about to reach the day guard. Long, black limbs wrapped around his neck. 

The air left Jeremy’s lungs and refused to come back. He reached out, yanking hard at the puppet’s arms. They onlytightened around him. The brunet gasped loudly. The already-dark room blurred around him. Black spots clouded his vision. His feet were lifted off of the ground. He could barely feel himself being dragged toward the prize box.

The pressure on his throat suddenly faded. Jeremy gasped deeply. He slowly sat up. He ignored the spinning room around him, focusing hard on catching his breath. 

The first thing he noticed was Mike roughly shoving the puppet back into the prize box. The day guard slammed it shut. He turned and ran to the brunet.

Jeremy took the hand that was extended to him. Mike pulled him to his feet. 

They swiftly moved toward the door. The static finally started to fade out as they left the area.

Mike took a set of keys and his phone from his pocket. He handed the phone to Jeremy.

“Call the cops. We’re gonna have to explain so much shit. Fuck.” The day guard scowled as he jammed the key into the lock on the door. The cops would surely have _a lot_ of questions for the two. Neither of them were looking forward to it. 

Jeremy flipped open his coworker’s phone. He pressed on the dial button and started typing in each number.

“Wait.” Mike took his hand again, pulling him back. He pulled the brunet behind him as a woman approached with a gun aimed at them.

Jeremy frowned as he recalled Toy Bonnie’s words. He had mentioned five heartbeats still in the building. 

There was still an intruder left. 

“Drop the phone!” The woman shouted. Jeremy bent down and set it on the floor. She stomped toward them, waving the gun angrily. A large black bag was swung around her shoulder, suggesting she he managed to get _something_ out of the night. 

“Nobody’s leaving until my friends are peeled off the fucking floor!” She screamed. Guilt filled the brunet. His eyes turned to the prize corner. The man that Mike had tased was slowly getting up. Toy Freddy had already begun making his way over. The other one was completely missing, the pool of blood that had been left behind trailing down the hallway. Mangle and his static had been seemingly left the scene too. What she planned to do with the body, the brunet didn’t want to think about. 

“We can’t do anything about that!” Mike snapped back.

“Yes you can! Shut them off or you aren’t leaving!” 

“We- We can just wait it out- until six- right..?” Jeremy suggested. 

“It’s not safe enough. Even if we got back to the the office, Foxy’s in there.” Mike pointed out. The brunet looked away, trying to think of something to get the gun pointed away from them. They only had so much time before the animatronics made their way over.

When he looked back toward the intruder, his eyes focused directly on a large figure slowly approaching. He could barely make out who it was in the dark, but the red eyes were a telltale sign. 

As Jeremy spoke to say something, his hand was squeezed. Mike glanced back at him. There was a quiet understanding between them.

“So are you turning them off or do I have to shoot one of you?” The intruder threatened. 

“We’ll turn them off!” Mike loudly agreed.

“Good choice. Where do you need to go? Is there some sort of button on these things?” She questioned. 

“Y- Yes! Um, we- we can just deactivate them like that..!” Jeremy lied, hoping silently that the loud talking would be enough to cover the heavy footsteps approaching.

“Why’re you being so loud?” The woman shifted her eyes between the two guards suspiciously. 

“They know our voices! It’ll keep them docile!” Mike told her. 

Bonnie lurched forward, snatching the woman’s arm and forcing her backward. She screamed as she was lifted off the ground. The gun fell from her hands.

Mike kicked it across the floor. In no time, he ran to the intruder’s side and ripped her away from the animatronic. Bonnie pushed him hard, knocking him down against the tile floor. 

“Mike...!” Jeremy rushed to his side in a panic. A metal hand seized him by his neck and lifted him upwards until his feet dangled off the ground. He let out a hoarse cry. The tight grasp was much tighter and more painful than the puppet could ever achieve. 

Bonnie wasn’t going for strangulation, he was trying to snap the poor guard’s neck. He clenched his fist even tighter. The brunet screamed in agony. He weakly reached for the hand holding him.

“GET THE FUCK _OFF_ OF HIM!” Mike screamed as he threw himself at the rabbit. Bonnie stumbled back. He let out a horribly broken, high pitched noise and lifted the night guard higher. His shoulders moved up and down like he was _laughing_. 

A gun fired, and Jeremy was dropped. He weakly crawled away. The world faded in and out, turning black and white in a continuous pattern that made him want to throw up. 

“ _M- Mike_..?!” He called out pleadingly, his voice extremely raspy. The day guard couldn’t be seen. Jeremy squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to think the worst. 

Two warm arms enveloped the night guard. A sense of comfort went over him as he was lifted up. 

“I’m here.” Mike murmured. He ran toward the wide open door. The keys had been thrown on the floor. Jeremy supposed the intruder must have left. He looked back at the animatronic rabbit walking away. A new, large hole rested in his arm. 

“You- you shot him?” The brunet hoarsely asked. 

“I didn’t shoot anything. Stop talking, you’re hurting your throat.” Mike scolded. 

The rain beat down on them as they stepped out of the building. The day guard set Jeremy down. He turned back to the building.

“Stay here.” Mike demanded. There was no opportunity to argue, because as the brunet opened his mouth his coworker ran back into the building. He stared at the front door anxiously. 

Whatever Mike was doing, Jeremy wished he would hurry and get back to safety. He refused to ignore the day guard’s direct commands, but it took extreme effort to not go back in. His usually-long patience quickly dwindled as he squirmed nervously in place next to the door. His eyes went to the wide open entrance; the keys still laying on the floor. 

The brunet picked them up and made his way over to Mike’s car. He opened the door to the vehicle. The car felt even colder than the rain did. Jeremy made sure to blast the heat once he started the engine. 

He spun around when loud footsteps filled his ears. A man ran out; the robber that had been tased, with Mike following right after with two phones in his hands. 

“Don’t come back, asshole!” The day guard sneered at the intruder, who ran past the car and out of the parking lot. The threat really wasn’t necessary. Mike still felt really good yelling at the man. 

“It’s six.” He informed as he walked to the brunet. Jeremy looked over him with a frown. The brightness that the outside provided allowed him to see the damage that had been done. 

Mike had large, teeth mark shaped holes in his right arm. Blood dripped down his arm and down to his hand. His shirt sleeve practically stuck to his skin. Additionally, his side was also completely soaked in the red liquid. He had a small gash on the side of his head that wasn’t currently bleeding, but still covered half of his head in mostly dried blood. Besides that, Jeremy didn’t see any significant injuries.

“Y-Y- You’re bleeding..” He quietly pointed out. 

“Yeah, er.. you might need to drive. I think my hand’s broken.” Mike admitted. The brunet gazed downward, frowning deeply. He clenched his fists into tight balls.

He didn’t realize he was crying until he felt hot tears roll down his cheeks. His throat throbbed painfully as he sobbed. The pain of each sob only made him weep more. 

“Hey, we made out it. No need to cry.” Mike opened up his arms. He winced as Jeremy tightly hugged him, feeling a painful ache in his side. He ignored the feeling and moved his uninjured arm around the brunet. 

The sobs Jeremy let out sounded more painful than anything Mike had heard. Each one was rough and hoarse. Something in his throat must have been injured. He needed a hospital immediately. 

Police sirens sounded in the distance. 

“You know what? Let’s stay here. I have a feeling they’re heading our way. Maybe they’ll call an ambulance.” Mike sighed. Jeremy hesitantly nodded. He saw the red and blue lights flashing near the parking lot, and instinctively moved closer into his coworker’s chest. 

The two intruders who had survived would be caught in mere days. While both rambled on about murderous animatronics, the police waved it off when they learned about the security programs installed in the Toys. The two others that had tried to rob the pizzeria went missing the next morning. 

Management dealt with cleaning everything up quickly.


	10. A Good Night’s Rest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The guards get some well needed rest after a hard night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a follow up to last chapter, but can probably be read as a stand alone!!
> 
> TW: single mention of abuse in first few paragraphs

After a conversation with the police and a three hour hospital trip, Jeremy decided it would be best for him to stay at Mike’s for the upcoming week. He didn’t want to face his father with strained vocal cords and an already battered body. Besides that, he needed to make sure Mike bothered to change the bandages on his arm and take the pain medicine the doctor gave him. He had a bad feeling that the day guard wouldn’t care enough to look after himself.

Their manager called Saturday night, angrily exclaiming how he was forced to shut down for the week with pay. The two guards celebrated as soon as the call hung up. Even better, Jeremy was allowed the first few days off of school with a doctor’s note. 

They spent Monday and Tuesday on the couch together, Mike playing on his gameboy for hours on end while Jeremy slept most of the time. He spent the time he was awake changing his coworker’s bandages and scolding him for not taking his pain medicine. Mike would do the same right back, reminding him to stop talking and take his own medicine. Jeremy would only huff at him and go back to sleep. 

Currently, Jeremy slumped back against the front of the couch he sat directly behind, his eyes focused on the calculus homework laid out on coffee table. There were only three weeks of school left until he officially graduated. He didn’t understand why his teachers decided on giving him such complicated work so close to the end of his final year of high school. He would have had an opportunity to concentrate in silence at home, but at the apartment Mike insisted on staying on the couch and making as many comments as he possibly could.

“Seriously, the fuck is that? There’s _letters_. How can you do that shit?” The day guard pointed out.

“It’s not hard. Just tedious.” Jeremy frowned. He leaned forward and picked up his pencil again, silently wishing he hadn’t taken an honors calculus class. 

“Well hurry it up. I’m bored as hell.” Mike complained. He laughed at the glare that was sent his way. It was obvious that there was no real anger behind it. The brunet could never manage to hold an angry look properly. 

Jeremy turned back to the work and began on the next problem. Mike leaned over him, watching him work with an impressed stare. His high school years had been drastically different. While the brunet was smart and had the grades to show it, Mike had flunked most of his classes and had to be put in a special program his sophomore year. He entirely blamed his screwed up brain that made him unable to do anything too complicated. That, and his inability to avoid fighting with his classmates. Most of high school was a messy blur for him, but he vaguely remembered many fist fights out by the football field. 

“Since when did you have to do this ‘calculus’ shit in high school? I thought all of that was college level garbage.” Mike brought up.

“I took pre-calculus last year, so I had to take calculus this- this year.” Jeremy explained. He saw the confusion in his coworkers eyes and smiled, continuing on.

“If you took an honors math class your sophomore year, you can go into pre-calc your junior year and then calculus your senior year.” 

“Sounds hard as fuck.” Mike scoffed. 

“A little.” The brunet shrugged. Math had never been the hardest class in the world, just dull and sometimes confusing. 

“You going to college after high school’s done?” The day guard asked. Jeremy definitely seemed like the college type to him. He quite obviously had the brain for it. 

“I, um, I don’t..” The brunet hesitated, “I don’t think I can.”

“You’re kidding, right? You’re a fuckin’ genius.” Mike argued. Jeremy’s entire face lit up. He looked away, trying to hide his large smile. 

“The issue is actually the- the loans and stuff, so I’m gonna wait at least a year. But for now I’m okay where I am.” He replied. 

“You can do way better than Fazbears, trust me.” 

“I didn’t mean there..! I mean that I’m happy with right here. Being around, um, you.”

It was Mike’s turn to look away, something stirring inside of him. An instant silence filled the room. He tried to think of some sort of reply, but everything he could possibly say felt wrong. 

“Wait a second! You’re not supposed to be talking.” Mike suddenly remembered. 

“But-“

“No, no talking. You’re gonna screw up your throat even more.” The day guard shot down before there could be any argument. He heard a huff and laughed, shaking his head. 

Jeremy pushed the paper into his folder and crammed it into the backpack sitting next to him. He crawled up onto the couch. Mike draped part of his blanket over him. 

His eyes widened as he felt the brunet move in closer. The cold air in the apartment suddenly felt cozy and warm. It had been happening more and more whenever Jeremy stayed too close to him. The feeling was still very foreign to him; but not at all unwelcome. He was certainly getting used to it. 

Jeremy leaned over the day guard’s lap and grabbed the game boy resting on the end table. He pushed it into Mike’s hands.

“Can I watch you- you play?” He asked. His voice sounded strained. If he used it too much more, damage would surely start to be done. 

“If you stop talking, I’ll play whatever you want.” Mike turned it on. The familiar _Pokémon_ logo flashed across the screen. He was halfway through his third play through of the game. His other two games hadn’t been touched in awhile. The only time they were used anymore was when Jeremy played, which had become a rare occurrence due to how much he liked watching instead. 

The brunet’s head tilted, resting on his shoulder. He fully cuddled up to Mike, wrapping the blanket tightly around him as he did. He let out a small yawn as his eyes shut halfway. 

Mike eyed him down for a moment, his cheeks an unnatural bright red. They had never been so close before. He didn’t want to say anything and risk Jeremy getting up, so he forced himself to peel his eyes away from the endearing sight and get back to starting up the game. 

_ He’s just cold. The apartment is freezing. _

That sounded about right. Mike couldn’t think of any other good reason for the closeness. It was natural for people to cuddle when they were cold. He didn’t mind it, even if he could feel his own heart rapidly pounding inside his chest. It must have just been the medicine.

No matter how hard he tried to focus on the game, his mind went elsewhere. He could feel every movement the brunet made. Every breath, every little shuffle; even when he closed his eyes.

Mike bit down hard on his bottom lip as he glanced at the sleeping night guard. If he wanted to move before, he definitely couldn’t anymore. He made sure to turn the volume down on his gameboy before he touched it again. If Jeremy woke up, he would probably get up to start on dinner. Mike _really_ didn’t want that to happen. He wondered how long they could stay there before they had to get up. 

_Hopefully, awhile._

He set the game boy down, his eyelids feeling heavy. Mike had never been one to get enough sleep. Even when he felt tired, there usually wasn’t a time where he was comfortable enough to sleep. But something about his current situation felt warm and snug enough for him to easily doze off. He followed the pleasant feeling and laid his head against the back of the couch. His eyes closed effortlessly, his head overflowing with positive thoughts that he really wasn’t used to. Each thought that appeared had one sole focus on a single person. 

Mike unknowingly snuggled closer to the brunet, enjoying the dreams that were warmer than they’d ever been. 

..

It only took the feeling of someone stirring for Mike to jolt awake. He immediately noticed the lack of warmth and an empty spot next to him. Jeremy had just gotten up, standing a foot away and preparing bandages and gauze tape. 

“What time is it?” The day guard tiredly rubbed his eyes. The apartment was still as dark as it had been before. Not much time could have passed. 

“Nine. Sorry for- for, um, falling asleep on you..” Jeremy apologized.Mike nearly laughed, knowing the brunet had to be kidding, until he saw the glimpse of guilt in his eyes. His mind assumed the worst. His previous girlfriend had complained multiple times about how he would thrash around wildly in his sleep. If he had thrashed and accidentally hit Jeremy, he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself. 

“Shit. I didn’t do anything in my sleep, did I?” He worriedly questioned. He sighed in relief as the brunet shook his head.

“I, uh, I just didn’t mean to, um-“ Jeremy stammered, “... Never mind, sorry. I should change your bandages.”

“We gotta do that now?” Mike looked down at his injured arm spitefully. Changing the bandages had been a pain all week. If he didn’t have Jeremy around, he doubted he would of bothered to change them himself. 

“I’ll be careful.” The brunet replied.

“Not about being careful. You’re always careful and I still hate it.” Mike muttered.

“Well, I’ll be more careful.” Jeremy leaned in, taking his arm and slowly lifting it toward him. 

He took his time unwrapping the bandages. Mike appreciated the effort to make it hurt less, even if each brush up against his wound stung. He twitched as part of the bandage grazed against the deepest part of the wound.

“Sorry..!” Jeremy apologized. He finished removing the bandages and grabbed the gauze pad from the coffee table. After dabbing it with some ointment, he moved it toward Mike’s arm.

“Your arm looks a lot better. You can probably start using i-i- it again in another two weeks.” He mentioned. The strain had become evident in his voice once again. Each word sounded painful to get out.

“Stop talking before you hurt yourself.” Mike shot him a stern look. Jeremy opened his mouth to argue, but instead pursed his lips and gently pressed the gauze pad against the wound. The day guard winced at the stinging feeling. He shook his head dismissively when his coworker mouthed an apology. 

“I’m fine, Jeremy.” He assured, wincing again as the bandages brushed up against his arm. The brunet unsurely nodded. There was a slight pause as he tried to figure out a way to make it a little less painful. Slowly and gently, He wrapped the bandages around the wound. Every slight movement felt like a direct jab to the injury, even with Jeremy being as gentle as he could. Mike balled his hands into fists and took a deep breath. 

A smaller hand moved over his. The brunet offered a soft smile. Mike looked away, a red warmth threatening to creep up to his cheeks. He grit his teeth as the bandages tightened.

“Fuck.” The day guard hissed under his breath. Twice a day he had to deal with a change in bandages. The pain wasn’t even the worst part; the bandages made his skin itch. He desperately wanted to scratch at them until they came loose. Jeremy made sure to keep him at bay. Without him, Mike guaranteed the injuries would be in a much worse state than they’d ever been in.

The brunet finished by tying the bandages together. He backed away, looking proudly at his work. 

“You’re really good at that.” Mike complimented. Jeremy blushed at the praise, his smile widening. 

“Alright, I’m going back to bed.” The day guard announced. He kicked his feet up onto the coffee table and yanked the blanket back over him. Jeremy pointed to the kitchen.

“I’m too tired to eat. Just make some big fancy breakfast tomorrow instead,” Mike patted the empty spot next to him and playfully smiled, “C’mere. I’ll fall asleep on you this time.”

The brunet hid his face as it turned even redder. He ignored the embarrassment and sat right next to the day guard. Mike pushed the blanket over him. Jeremy moved closer, this time choosing to lay down on the rest of the couch and use Mike’s chest as a pillow. 

It didn’t feel as strange cuddling up to him the second time. It almost felt the opposite; like he was used to it and enjoyed every single second of it. 

_And he really did._

Mike turned the tv off, leaving the apartment completely dark. He felt the brunet snuggle up to him even more, and decided to take a risk. He cautiously moved an arm around the younger male. Jeremy instantly eased into the comfortable touch. 

“Goodnight.” He whispered. Mike closed his eyes, smiling to himself. It took a robbery for him to feel genuinely happy. Jeremy seemed to feel the same way. 

The day guard ran a hand through the soft brown hair next to him, sighing softly into the quiet air. 

“Night, Jeremy.”


	11. Bonus: The Meadow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lonely gargoyle laments atop a hill. Something decides to interrupt him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a bonus chapter as the title states!!!!! an au within an au lol, i don’t know if there will be more of these in the future but if there are i wont include notes for those future chapter, so if you see any bonus things in the future they won’t be part of the main “story” kind of thing I have going :)

It was said that in the dense, eternally dark forest, a bright meadow sat in the exact middle. In it rested the finest of nature. Rare herbs, flowers, fruits and vegetables; all which would stay in bloom for the entire year. Even the winter months wouldn’t prevent them from dying. Thus, a natural utopia for the inhabitants of the forest was created. 

The living beings of the forest were supposedly created directly by the hands of gods and goddesses. Each one had a purpose to keep the natural balance; as predator and prey. Predators became protectors of the forest, taking down any human who dared to enter the land. Prey remained to consume and use the gifts of the forest; and to be an easy food source for predators. To prevent a mass killing of all prey, the meadow became a sacred land where every creature of the forest was granted an immunity from violence. Any creature who had dared to ignore the orders were rumored to turn up dead within mere days. 

Nevertheless, the meadow was a safe haven. It became a common resting spot for many looking to get away from the danger of the forest. Predators commonly spent time there much less than prey, but there was one in particular who used it for a different reason than the natural goodies and harmony. 

Over a hill in the meadow, a stone gargoyle reminisced. Twenty long years in the forest had left him heavily cracked. His body was slowly falling apart, and with no way to fix it he was forced to contemplate the faults he made to get each injury. Every battle he had previously gotten involved in seemed more and more futile as he looked back on it. There were many things anyone else could have been avoided, things that his hot temper refused to let him ignore. 

The gargoyle winced as he shifted his head up slightly. Each movement discomforted his aching body. He tried to encourage his wings to move, but his only response was a painful twitch in his back. It had been a long time since he had been able to successfully fly without falling back down immediately. The fight that earned him such injuries had grown into one of his biggest regrets.

He supposed that was what the life of the predator was bound to be, full of pain and violence. If only it didn’t have to hurt so much. Prey creatures seemed to get it easier than he ever had. They lived their lives in ignorant bliss, playing around by the rivers or flower fields until the day they would be eventually killed off like the cycle of nature demanded. It was a simple life; a life the gargoyle wished to have. 

There were times where he desperately prayed to the stars for some sort of sign that being predator wasn’t a curse. His life had been filled with blood and death since the day his mother birthed him. He grew up with it, and, to his dismay, got used to it at an early age. 

It left him a bitter, angry monster. 

The gargoyle’s immunity to the worst parts of the forest effected him more than anything else. He spent his nights violently thrashing around as his mind forced him to relive his past actions. His happiest memories would always evade his grasp, yet the darkest parts of his mind seemed to always allow him to recall each guilty moment. No punishment would be great enough for him to forgive himself for the damage he had caused. The predator that lived inside of him demanded to be satiated by the flesh of animals, yet he still felt guilty every time he took a life. 

The everlasting wounds on his body were a well deserved payback. He would be reminded of his actions every time he moved. It still wouldn’t be enough karma, but the wounds would eventually add up until he was incapable of moving and someone else overtook him. 

He sighed deeply. That day would be sooner than later if he kept overworking himself. It didn’t sound so bad to rush the process of dying. Hundreds of more years of living sounded exhausting if he could barely move at twenty. 

“Um, sir?”

The gargoyle shot up into a standing position and turned to the frail voice calling to him. He lowered his eyes at the satyr that stood a few feet away. He was ridiculously smaller than the gargoyle, with fluffy brown hair that completely covered his eyes and pale skin. He held a woven basket over his arm that was filled to the brim with flowers.

“What?” The gargoyle lowly asked. He really didn’t feel in the mood to be messed around with. 

“I’m sorry to bother you but, um, could I take some of those flowers..?” The satyr pointed to the flower bed that happened to be resting right next to the large stone beast.

He took the grunt of a reply as a yes and cautiously approached. The gargoyle stared him down for a moment before returning his eyes to the view in front of him. The distraction wasn’t entirely unpleasant, although he didn’t like being around others. The satyr would most likely scamper off within minutes and he would get back to his peace. 

The brunet plopped down next to him, his eyes scanning over each flower. He carefully investigated each one before picking it. The gargoyle couldn’t help watching in confusion. Flowers couldn’t be so complicated that he needed to analyze every single one. 

He only looked away when he noticed the satyr squirming under the gaze. An urge to apologize creeped up in the back of his throat. He fought off the feeling and finally sat back down, fully turning away from the satyr.

“It’s really pretty up here.” The satyr softly spoke. If he was expecting a reply, he wouldn’t be getting one. The stone beast next to him was adamant on holding his tongue for as long as possible. The less he talked, the more likely his chances were of scaring the little satyr off. 

“Could I stay up here a little longer, maybe..? I’ll be quiet.” The brunet pleaded just as he finished picking the flowers he wanted. He smiled at the nod given by the larger creature. 

It seemed he would be there for awhile. The silence between them made the gargoyle consider actually speaking a few words to try and get him away. His presence alone had always been enough to scare someone off. What confused him even more was the satyr’s _shaking_. A fearful aura entirely engulfed him. Yet, he still sat close with a small smile on his face. 

The gargoyle squinted, watching closely as the satyr’s pale fingers braided each flower stem together. His curiosity peaked at the sight, enough for him to lean in and question the strange behavior. 

“Why are you doing that?” He peered at the array of flowers that were being braided together. The brunet looked up at him, his smile growing at the gargoyle’s sudden interest.

“I’m making flower crowns.” 

“For what purpose?”

“There’s no purpose, I guess,” The satyr explained, “But they’re really fun to make.” 

A pointless activity couldn’t be that fun, the gargoyle thought. He went against what his mind told him to say and firmly closed his mouth. 

“Would you like one?” The brunet offered. 

“No.” The gargoyle grunted. It was a complete waste of nature in his eyes. The flowers would wither within days. There couldn’t be any worth in something that would last seven days at most. 

As the sun touched the middle of the sky, the gargoyle decidedly settled down in the grass. He kept his head upright at first, just in case the satyr began to bother him again, but ultimately let his chin rest against the edge of the hill. 

He almost forgot about the other creature’s presence entirely. He again let his mind wander off to a different place. If the gods and goddesses in the sky ever chose to listen to him, he hoped that when he eventually died they would recreate him into something that couldn’t hurt others. They had never been easy on him; he doubted they would ever listen to his request. 

His eyes averted to the satyr. He couldn’t imagine how easy his life must have been. Spending all of his time in the meadow, prancing around without a worry in the world. The cycle of nature would most likely take it’s effect soon. It was just as he had thought earlier.

He looked away when he saw the other creature’s head turn. 

“Do you, um, come here a lot?” The satyr questioned. 

“Why does it matter?” The stone beast retorted, rolling his eyes.

“I don’t come here a lot. If I spend too much time here, I think I’ll grow out of my instincts.” 

“So? Look at all the other satyrs here.” The gargoyle muttered, looking toward the large meadow full of other creatures, many of which were satyrs. 

“I know, but- but I still shouldn’t take advantage of it.” The brunet pouted. His logic was a surprise, especially coming from something so small. The gargoyle didn’t want to show his intrigue, trying to grasp onto the small chance that he would still get up and leave. He really doubted he could be interesting enough for a satyr to hang around for too much longer. Then again, the one next to him seemed as if he wanted to stand by for as long as he could. 

“Do you ha- have a name?” 

All of the satyr’s questions were starting to irk him. There were dozens of other creatures to talk to, and he had picked the one who wanted to be left alone. The gargoyle suspected it was a different kind of karma for his past actions. He wanted to express his disinterest in the conversation, that the satyr had overstayed his welcome moments ago, but when he looked back he focused immediately on the large smile and suddenly couldn’t _not_ respond.

“..... Mike.” He hesitantly told. 

“That’s a nice name...! I’m Jeremy.” The satyr introduced himself. He carefully braided the last few stems together, finishing off the flower crown. 

“Do you like it?” He held it up for the gargoyle to see. It was a wide array of flowers, a variety of kinds and colors. In Mike’s opinion, it was too bright and could definitely attract predators. It didn’t look like something to be excited over. The satyr’s lit up face clearly disagreed.

“Sure.” He slowly nodded. Jeremy practically shined at the reply. He rushed to put it over his messy locks of hair. The flowers fit him. Mike couldn’t help the compliment that escaped him.

“You look good.” He bit down on his own tongue hard as the words escaped him. The brunet blushed deeply at the response, but the happy look that still remained must have meant that he appreciated it. 

“Thank you..!” Jeremy reached into the basket beside him. His fingers wrapped around a white tulip. 

Mike eyed down the flower that the satyr placed next to him, not quite sure what to say. It turned out he didn’t have to say anything, because Jeremy quickly went back to making another flower crown. He had no real use for a flower. Something about it _still_ felt treasurable. He moved a large hand over it and dragged it toward him. Using the tips of his sharp nails, he picked it up by it’s stem and quietly examined it. 

He set it on the other side of him and allowed himself to lay back down in the grass. What he had considered a disruption earlier faded into obscurity. There was no real disturbance; only a talkative satyr with too many flowers. 

“I’ve never met a gargoyle before,” Jeremy commented, “But- But you seem really, um, nice.”

“I do?” Mike gave him a doubtful look. 

“Definitely...!” The satyr confidently spoke. Unlike before, the aura that covered him appeared more relaxed. His shaking had come to a stop too, Mike noticed. He deeply enjoyed the other creature’s comfort around him. Perhaps if someone could genuinely like to be near him, better things awaited in the future. 

“Um, in all honesty..” Jeremy paused, “.. You seemed really lonely up here. That’s why I came up. It can’t be fun to be all alone.”

“I like being alone.” The gargoyle disagreed. 

“But even so, isn’t it nice to be around others sometimes?” 

Mike froze, his mind going blank. The new perspective gave him a pounding headache. There weren’t many times where he had gotten to be around others in a situation that didn’t involve death. Every experience he _did_ have leading up to the current one had been incredibly negative, usually having something to do with someone trying to take advantage of his strength. 

The brunet didn’t seem like the type to take advantage of anything. In fact, it appeared to be the exact opposite. A young satyr in the forest had to he very impressionable.

“Don’t you worry about being so close to someone like me?” Mike brought up, “I’m still dangerous, lonely or not.”

“Maybe a l-l- little.. but it’s important to help others, even if they’re kind of scary.” Jeremy expressed. He lifted the new flower crown up, checking every angle to make sure nothing was out of place. The new one was made primarily out of white and dark blue flowers. It looked much safer than the other crown, in Mike’s eyes. 

The satyr stood. He bent down, picked the basket up, and turned to the gargoyle. 

“I should go now. Thank you for letting me stay for so long. I hope I didn’t bother you too much.” He thanked. 

“Goodbye.” Mike nodded at him. 

“This is for you,” Jeremy set the blue and white flower crown in front of the gargoyle, “I know you said you didn’t want one, but I couldn’t he- help myself.”

Another little gift that would be treasured. Not that he would ever let himself wear one. They didn’t exactly suite his personality. 

The satyr shot him one last smile before he made his way down the hill. Mike’s eyes didn’t leave him until he scampered into the darkness of the forest.

He silently wished the best for the little creature. The forest didn’t go easy on things like him. Based on their earlier conversation, the gargoyle had a feeling he would be okay. Jeremy seemed smart enough; just overtly nice, a little too much for his own good. 

Mike lifted flower crown he had left behind. He set it next to the white tulip. They were quite lovely together. If flower upkeep wasn’t too complicated, he would try his best to keep them alive for as long as possible. He wished he had asked about how to keep them safe. The satyr definitely would have given a few helpful tips. He would just have to figure it out on his own. Important things were meant to be taken care of, after all.

The gargoyle looked one last time at the flower bed next to him before he finally stood up. A painful ache shot through his entire back. He didn’t realize forgotten about his injuries for once, too absorbed in the satyr. The pain instantly hit him all at once. Even then, it felt easier to ignore than before.

He lifted the flower crown and tulip with his mouth and started his own descent back into the forest. 

One day, he hoped to run back into the satyr again. The presence had been more refreshing than he originally realized. The chance of them running into each other again was extremely slim. Jeremy could decidedly _not_ want to come near him again. He wouldn’t be surprised if it came to that. That didn’t stop him from holding a deep hope.

It turned out the satyr hadn’t been karma after all. 

At least, not a bad karma. 


	12. Twenty One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Birthdays never felt like a good thing in the Schmidt household. This year, Mike finds a solution to forget about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: alcohol use!!!

A missing part of the brain meant a terrible memory. Everything became easily forgettable. While some things were probably best forgotten, important events became hard to keep track of. There were plenty of times where a young Mike would wake up on Christmas morning without a clue that it was even December. Before every mothers day, his father would remind him to not forget and it would still slip from his memory the very next morning. His mother would be disappointed, but ultimately understanding. It turned out the joy of events were ruined when he couldn’t remember them.

It made sense that Mike’s birthday easily evaded his memory, too. It was one of those things he could care less about forgetting. A birthday meant fuzzy memories and a pounding headache. If he could avoid remembering it, he would save himself plenty of trouble. 

It was too bad his mother had other plans. He woke up early to his phone loudly buzzing. Assuming Jeremy must have wanted something, he reached for it and tiredly peered down at the screen. 

A text from his parents was always an unpleasant surprise. They didn’t bother to contact him after high school unless it was a holiday. When Mike saw the screen and remembered the month, he inwardly sighed as he opened the text message. 

_ 7:32AM _

_ Mom: _

_ Hi sweetheart. Happy 21st. Love you. _

He didn’t know why the words made him seethe. Bad memories lingered in the back of his mind. He forced a reply with fake sincerity laced in before he shut his phone and practically slammed it down beside him. It hit the creaky mattress with a quiet thump. 

A painful but expected ache creeped up in his head. He knew from experience that even medicine wouldn’t make it go away. 

His phone buzzed again. Mike ignored the sound and forced himself out of the bed. If it was apparently a special day, he could at least treat himself with a shitty cup of coffee and whatever remained in his fridge from the last time the night guard had been over. 

It turned out two day old sweet rolls and black coffee made a delicious breakfast on a horrible day. He ate in bed, figuring it was his birthday and that meant he could do anything he wanted. _Anything_ included the idea of possibly inviting Jeremy over. Until he realized it was a Friday. His coworker had school for the first half of the day, and he had a terrible pizzeria to work in. 

He glanced over at his phone, pondering if his mother _hadn’t_ texted him twice and Jeremy had said something instead. It felt like his only chance to turn the day around before it just got worse. If anyone could cure his headache, it would be the brunet. He snatched the phone from beside him and eagerly flipped it open.

_ 7:34AM _

_ Mom: _

_ Just in case you plan on drinking today please don’t do it alone and be safe. xoxo _

Mike paused. He read the message over once, twice, then three times to just to be sure he read it right. 

A new idea popped up in his head. Twenty one granted a few perks, perks the day guard had been impatiently waiting for since high school. All he had to so was head to the nearest store to get rid of the pounding headache and forget about the day all together. Finally, after ten painful years, there would be a birthday he could actually enjoy. 

“Twenty one, huh?” He whispered to himself as he texted Fritz for a cover on his shift. The last thing in his mind was being careful. He had some fuzzy memories to keep away, with a perfect solution on how to. 

It was going to be a good day. Or at least, one he could easily forget. 

..

Without a single word from his coworker all day, Jeremy began to worry. He always got _something_. It felt like a jab to the heart that Mike hadn’t bothered to talk to him all day long.

He blamed himself for his emotional attachment to the day guard. If there was a reason as to why he hadn’t gotten anything all day, it was definitely his fault. He could think of a million things that may have caused some irritation. The night shift beforehand had seemingly been a normal one, but he supposed it could have been his talkativeness or how he closed the door a little hard when he got in the car. There were always signals that Mike was in a bitter mood. While he hadn’t shown anything the night before, that didn’t mean he felt resentful the next morning. Jeremy frowned just thinking of upsetting him somehow. He considered sending an apology, but quickly realized that would just be even more annoying. 

He checked his phone six different times on the walk home from school. Still, there was nothing. He tried to tell himself it could just be an extremely busy day at the pizzeria. Mike wouldn’t just ignore him without a good reason. Unless he _would_. Jeremy truly didn’t know. The day guard had never been mad at him before.

The brunet set his backpack down, kicked his shoes off, and collapsed onto the bed. He forced himself not to check his phone again. It would only upset him further if he kept looking. Mike had better things to do than constantly pay attention to him. He sighed deeply, knowing he still undoubtedly missed the attention. 

A soft buzz came from his pocket. Jeremy shot up, quickly grabbing the little device and eagerly flipping it open. Finally, he would hear _something_ from his coworker after hours of silence.

_ 2:46PM _

_ Mike!!!!: _

_ golt svjt jfnrmy i mcs s yo _

The excitement died down as he read over the text. It looked like an _attempt_ at the night guard’s name. The rest was complete nonsense. As he tried to translate the horribly written text, another message popped up.

_ 2:47PM _

_ Mike!!!!: _

_ fucjc cce corrce coemf. ovr _

His best guess was _come over_. He typed back a worried reply, hoping that something could be cleared up.

_ 2:47PM _

_ Jeremy: _

_ Are you okay? _

_ 2:48PM _

_ Mike!!!!: _

_ OVER _

That settled it. Jeremy closed his phone. He listened to what he _thought_ Mike was saying and head over to the apartment. He gathered his work uniform and shoved it into his backpack, assuming he would be there for a good while. 

His phone buzzed constantly for the entire duration of his walk to the apartment. At first, it had been amusing. Each text’s lack of sense was very out of character. It took only a few minutes before the buzzing got on Jeremy’s nerves. He was forced to mute his phone for the duration of the walk. Mike definitely wasn’t saying anything he desperately needed to see, anyways. 

It took around ten minutes for him to reach the apartment. The trip was much shorter than he had thought. He wished he had known, a light guilt going over him for having his coworker always picking him up. 

As he raised his hand to knock on the door, it swung open. A pair of arms were thrown around him. He barely had any time to react to the tight grip before he was yanked into the apartment. One of the hands let go to slam the door shut. 

Jeremy winced at the loud sound. He looked up at the man hugging him, only to have his nostrils immediately hit with the harsh stench of whiskey. 

“Jeremy!” A strangely cheerful tone came out of Mike as he spoke, “Fuck, why’re you here? Shit... you’re here. Whole place is a damn mess.”

“You- You told me to.. I think... are you doing okay?” The brunet worriedly asked.

“I did...? Heh, I did! I’m so fuckin’ smart, you know that?” Mike’s hands latched onto his shoulders, keeping him from being able to move away. Jeremy didn’t bother to try and cover the sheer panic on his face. He was positive his coworker was far too drunk to notice.

“Shouldn’t you be at work?” Jeremy pointed out. Mike worked weekdays until late in the afternoon. Judging from how much he complained about money, something serious must have been going on to keep him out of work. The brunet had sworn he couldn’t even drink. Then again, Mike could definitely pass as someone much older. 

The day guard loosened his arms, stumbling back until he hit the side of the couch. He lowered his eyes to the floor. Something about the words hit him hard. 

“Fuck no.” He sneered harshly. His eyes only met the other to send an angry glare. 

Jeremy frowned deeply at the action. It hurt him to see the blatant anger toward him. The rage in Mike’s eyes wasn’t something he was accustomed to, nor was it something he ever _wanted_ to get accustomed to. He took a small step back, his heart pounding hard.

“Fuck that place, y’know? I’ll just quit.. become a fuckin’...” The day guard paused. His eyes widened as he looked back at the brunet in sheer panic. 

“What can I do? I’m not good at anything!” He cried, “I’m gonna fucking die there!”

The anger radiating off of him made Jeremy want to run out the door as fast as he could. He fought every muscle in his body and remained in place. The painful pang in his heart told him if he didn’t stay, something bad could happen to the man.

“Mike-“

“You know how much I hate that damn place?” The day guard put his head in his hands, “If I don’t put my life on the line, I’m risking yours! What kind of fucked up shit is that?!”

_“Mike-“_

“No, no, none of that MIKE shit! You can’t even argue with me because you’re fuckin’ perfect!” He slurred his words badly as he yelled. Jeremy wanted badly to question what perfect meant. He couldn’t tell whether to take it as an insult or not. He chose not to indulge in Mike’s drunken thoughts and instead _try_ to change the conversation before it got too out of hand.

“You’re worrying me.” He quietly spoke. The anger faded away as quickly as the joy had earlier. Mike’s gaze turned blank. They sat in an uncomfortable silence for far longer than the night guard was alright with, until he finally gained the courage to take a step forward. He took another step when no negative reaction was given, and then kept going until he could reach out and take Mike’s hands. He could feel his heart beating against his ribs. Wether it was fright or something else, it didn’t matter in the moment.

“I need another drink.” Mike mumbled. Right as he took his first steps toward the kitchen, a hand pulled him back. He shot an irritated look at the brunet. 

“I’ll get it...!” Jeremy quickly replied, “You- You, um, just sit down.”

“Treatin’ me right on my birthday,” The day guard laughed, “That’s why you’re my _favorite!”_

“It’s- It’s your birthday?”

“Fuck yeah. Twenty-fucking..... fuuuuck.” Mike groaned loudly. He put a hand to his head, stumbling back at the throbbing he suddenly felt. The brunet rushed to sit him down before he hurt himself. 

“Hurry up with that drink. Only thing that’ll get rid of this damn headache.” The day guard complained. While that sounded like a _horrible_ solution, Jeremy felt obligated to smile and nod like he agreed with the convoluted logic.

He made his way into the kitchen. The smell of alcohol was just as prominent as it had been in the living room. A large, nearly-half empty bottle of whiskey sat on the counter. He cringed at the very sight of it. Assuming that morning had been his coworker’s first time drinking, he couldn’t imagine how drunk he must have been off of that much whiskey. It was an alcohol known for its ability to show quick results. 

The original plan had been to dump the entire bottle out and hope Mike wouldn’t notice the difference in taste. Of course the liquid had to be brown. Even a drunk man would notice a color change. Jeremy decided to water it down instead, not wanting to take the risk. He snatched the bottle and slowly tilted it over the sink until the brown liquid poured out. 

When less than a third of it was left, Jeremy turned the sink on and leaned it over the bottle. He clasped his hands together nervously at the sound of rushing water. It was surely loud enough to be heard from the living room. Mike didn’t say anything about it nor did the brunet hear him get up from the couch. 

He quietly sighed in relief once the water finally reached halfway. He turned the water off and went to the cabinet. Mike only had five cups at most, all bland-colored mugs that assumedly had belonged to a set at his parents house; Jeremy guaranteed they were stolen. He picked out the nearest one and set it down on the countertop. The whiskey bottle was lifted and gently tipped against the mug until it slowly poured in. He stopped pouring halfway, figuring he could try to get Mike into bed before that much was even finished. 

“Jeremy!”

The brunet jumped, swiftly facing the day guard who stood at the entrance to the kitchen. He shakily smiled as he searched for any suspicion in the other male’s eyes. There was none, thankfully; just a playful gaze locked onto him. 

“Jeremy, Jeremy,” Mike held up his keys, “We’re goin’ for a riiiiiide! I’ll drive you wherever you want!”

“That’s, um... a great idea but,” The brunet stared at the keys nervously, “I think we sh-sh- should stay here.”

“Why?” The day guard crossed his arms, clearly annoyed at being shut down. He leaned to the side, pressing his head and shoulder against the grey wall. The keys spun around his index finger repeatedly. His eyes dropped to them, smiling a little too much at the extra serotonin he was getting from doing it.

“Wouldn’t it- it be fun to do something right here?” Jeremy suggested.

“Together?” Mike peered.

“Sure, um, together.” That seemed agreeable enough. He had awhile before he needed to go to the pizzeria, and practically no schoolwork that could wait an extra day. Whatever the day guard wanted to do couldn’t be as bad as driving sounded. 

Mike walked past him and grabbed the mug. As he headed toward the living room, he took Jeremy by his hand. 

“I’ve got the perfect idea. Been thinkin’ about it for _ages_!” Mike expressed, “It’ll get rid of this shitty fuckin’ headache too.”

He led the brunet back into the living room and over to the couch, all the while mumbling incoherent words that Jeremy tried his hardest to make out. He caught something about someone being cute, _maybe_ \- he couldn’t exactly tell with all of the slurring. 

Mike dropped onto the couch. He kicked his feet up against one of the arm rests, while resting his head against the other one. He tilted the mug over his mouth and chugged the liquid inside of it down until nothing was left. Jeremy inwardly sighed in relief that the whiskey had been watered down. 

“I know exactly what I wanna do,” Mike announced, “C’mere!”

“What-?” The brunet had no time to react when a hand snatched his wrist and yanked him down. He fell right onto the other. Mike rapidly snaked his arms around his waist, preventing him from being able to get up.

The sudden movements caused a slight panic in Jeremy’s mind. The restraint created a sense of entrapment: a feeling he hated more than anything.

“P-P- _Please_ let go.” He put his hands against Mike’s chest in an attempt to push back. The arms around him loosened immediately. Two hands moved their way up, cupping both sides of his face. His cheeks heated up at the contact. 

“This is what you had in mind?” His voice shook as he spoke. It didn’t feel right to be so close to someone not in control of their mind. 

“Cause whenever you’re touchin’ me, I fall asleep and then my headache’s gone.”

Mike’s words turned him even redder. He looked away, too embarrassed to make anymore eye contact. Whether it was just another drunken idea or something the day guard actually meant, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to know. 

“You should, um, get some rest.” The brunet removed the hands from his cheeks and lightly squeezed them. 

“Jeremy...” Mike stared at their intertwined hands, “... I think I’m drunk. Like.. really fucking drunk.”

“I know.”

“Sorry for yelling at you.”

“It’s okay.”

“But I’m still pissed at you.”

“F- For what..?”

“For being all.... cute n’ shit. Annoying as hell. And a big-ass distraction.”

“It’s just the- the alcohol talking,” _I hope,_ “You should go to bed.” 

“... I’m gonna go to bed.” Mike agreed. He wrapped his arms around the brunet again; a much gentler hold that Jeremy could get comfortable with. 

The day guard shut his eyes with a small smile resting on his lips. 

Jeremy only got up when he was sure the man under him was sleeping. He carefully moved the arms and climbed off. Mike rolled to his side, his arms curling up toward his chest. The sight made Jeremy smile. At least his coworker could get some rest after that. 

He dumped the rest of the whiskey out. When Mike woke up, he would just think he drank it all. There was no way he would be able to remember how much he drank. After that much alcohol, Jeremy pondered if the day guard would be able to remember _anything_. It would be better if he didn’t. He would be embarrassed by his own actions at the very least. If he had already decided to drink, the brunet didn’t want him to feel worse than he probably did already.

Though it was unlikely that he would wake up still drunk, Jeremy still decided to take Mike’s keys with him to work. It felt like the safest option. He would drop them off right after his shift. Even if Mike didn’t wake up still drunk, he wouldn’t be in any condition to drive. The extra walk wouldn’t hurt anyways.

He didn’t leave until he absolutely needed to for work. Right before he left, he grabbed the bottle of ibuprofen from the bathroom and set it on the arm stand with a glass of water. The hangover would be inevitable and definitely not something Mike would enjoy. The pills wouldn’t be a magic cure to stop it from happening, but they could support him at least a little bit.

Jeremy quietly picked his backpack up off the floor at ten thirty. He made his way to the door, trying to avoid the creaks in the floor as he did. He knew well Mike was a light sleeper. The slightest noise would wake him up. 

That didn’t stop him from saying goodnight, though. He kept his voice hushed as he wished the best for the day guard. It would be his first Friday night alone; he didn’t mind too much. Mike would complain about it the next morning as soon as he realized the situation. Maybe it would help him realize the brunet was perfectly capable of doing it alone. 

As he slipped through the door silently, he looked one last time at the day guard. 

“Happy birthday, Mike.”

The door closed.


	13. Graduation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day Jeremy has been waiting for has finally come. Too bad Mike lacks any common sense.

Waiting for Jeremy to come out of the pizzeria definitely felt like the worst part of picking him up. Mike’s foot tapped impatiently against the floor of his car. His eyes dug holes into the front doors as he counted down each second. There would never be a day where he _didn’t_ worry about the brunet’s well being, no matter how many nights passed by.

He let out a deep breath of relief as Jeremy appeared at the glass. The doors gently swung open. He rushed toward the car and got into the passenger seat. The large smile he had on made Mike raise a brow. The night shift wasn’t commonly something anyone would be happy about. 

“Was it a good night or something?” He questioned, checking over the night guard carefully for any injuries. Nothing seemed out of place. 

“Y- Yeah! I mean, um, it was normal but, today’s my last day of school...!” Jeremy explained excitedly. 

“You should skip it and come over. All that senior shit is garbage.” Mike replied as he started the ignition. He had personally avoided all senior activities; except for when his previous girlfriend dragged him to prom, and administration forced him to attend graduation. Both had been awful experiences that made him glad to have a poor memory.

“Actually, I think I wanna go and enjoy the day.. I haven’t done any of the other senior stuff ‘cause of work. The only big thing left for me is graduation.” The brunet sighed. Mike didn’t see the issue. Working at a pizzeria with killer animatronics sounded much more fun than any senior activity could ever be.

He pulled out of the pizzeria’s parking lot and began his way down the road. Jeremy leaned toward the window, his eyes falling toward the floor thoughtfully. He kicked his feet up and down slowly. The day guard glanced at the little motion, holding back a small smile. Even the little things he did were intriguing and- there was another word he couldn’t think of. 

_Cute, maybe?_

Mike tightened his grip on the steering wheel. He shook his head of the thoughts. It was plain embarrassing to get entranced by such small actions. If the brunet ever found out, he knew that he would never be looked at the same. That sounded even worse than being embarrassed just by himself.

“I’m, um, graduating Friday. It’s gonna be really nice out so they’re doing it on the field.” Jeremy mentioned.

“Damn, I’m sorry. That’s gonna be the fuckin’ worst. Those weird dress things they make you wear are so hot. Sitting there for two hours with the sun beating down on you sounds like pure hell.” Mike groaned just thinking about the heat. Nothing was worse than sitting in a crowd of people, dressed entirely in black, while directly under the sun. 

“Oh... um, yeah..! I guess it’ll be a little uncomfortable,” The brunet spoke, “That’s okay, though. I’m still really happy I’m graduating. It was a lot of work.”

“You did good. Now you get to experience the thrilling adventures of what happens after. It still sucks.” 

Jeremy quietly nodded. He looked down at his lap briefly before he turned his head to the day guard. He nervously fiddled with something in his pocket. Mike glanced over again; it looked like a piece of paper, maybe. It must have been trash he’d held onto by accident or a note of some kind. After a few seconds the brunet slowly pulled it out and quickly covered it with his hands.

“Everyone got five tickets for family and stuff. I, um.. I gave mine away exce-“

“That’s a smart idea,” Mike interrupted with a proud grin, “I’m rubbing off on you, aren’t I? Good.”

“... Yeah.” 

The car filled with silence. Mike wasn’t sure why the sudden quiet had started, or why it wasn’t ending. Their conversation had been fine up until that moment. It couldn’t have been something he said; Jeremy had agreed with him on everything.

He pulled to the side of the road as he reached the house. He couldn’t help the glare he sent toward it. It was always the nice-looking houses that were the most screwed up. Knowing Jeremy would move out quickly was the only thing keeping him from going in there himself. 

As Mike turned away to say goodbye, he was greeted with an empty seat. He looked back at the house instantly. Jeremy was already unlocking the front door. He didn’t get a goodbye. It stung far worse than it should have. He always got a goodbye, and sometimes a hug. The brunet hadn’t even spared a second glance as he went in.

He looked to his right again. His eyes caught a little slip of paper laying on the seat. It was dark green and gold; crumpled at the sides like it had been toyed with for awhile. It must have fallen out of Jeremy’s pocket when he got out.

Mike picked it up and inspected it. On the top was large bright letters that read _Graduation Ceremony_. Underneath the shiny words included _general admission_ and the date of the event. He swore the brunet had mentioned giving all of his tickets away. 

_.... Wait a second._

“How the fuck am I this dull?” The day guard angrily banged his head back against the seat. He deserved the headache it soon gave him. He wouldn’t be able to read a sign if it him. It was no wonder Jeremy hadn’t said a word to him before he left.

He shoved the ticket into his pocket and drove away from the house. Fritz could cover another Friday shift, or at least he hoped so. Jeremy surely wasn’t expecting him to come to the event anymore. He’d been shot down without the day guard even knowing an invite had been extended to him. Mike owed a lot to the brunet that he doubted he would ever be able to make up for; the very least he could do was give him a nice surprise on a day that meant a lot to him. 

For the next two days, Mike had a _really_ hard time keeping his mouth shut about the graduation ceremony. Jeremy never brought it up after Tuesday morning and showed almost no signs of ever bringing it up at all, except for the occasional mention of being out of school. He didn’t seem all that upset either. The only hint Mike got that there were any lingering feelings of bitterness was in the quiet moments between them. Jeremy would chew on his bottom lip and drop his eyes to the floor. If the day guard looked closely enough and could actually _see_ past the brown locks that covered his coworker’s face, he would catch a glimmer of sorrow hidden in his eyes. That look alone made it almost impossible to keep his mouth shut. 

Almost. 

He woke up early on Friday morning with the proud feeling that he’d been able to stay quiet for so long. The ceremony began at ten; he had two hours to get what he needed and try to make himself look presentable. Jeremy had spent almost all of Wednesday and Thursday with him, taking up the rest of his time and forcing him to push everything back until Friday. He truly didn’t mind; the company never once got irritating. He didn’t doubt that he would have pushed back the plans until the last minute anyways. Either way, two hours was not a lot of time to figure the whole graduation thing out.

Not a single memory remained of what his graduation experience was like. There was no reference for him to figure out what people usually did. He was pretty sure everyone had after parties, and while he couldn’t afford to do a lot, he still went to the store to check out his options. 

Mike picked out a small ice cream cake and a dozen cookies. If there was one thing he’d learned about Jeremy in their time together, it was that he _loved_ sweet things. The brunet always included something sweet in his cooking. Anytime he was eating, it was something with far too much sugar for Mike to properly process. The few times he toned down on sweets was for the day guard’s sake. Anything too sugary felt sickening to him. 

After everything was properly put away, he moved onto the second and final step. It was expected of people to dress at least a bit formally to a graduation ceremony. It made no sense at all to him, but he knew he would end up as an ugly outlier if he didn’t tidy himself up. 

Mike’s closet was almost barren. He never caught how little clothes he owned before. There were a few dark hoodies, two sets of his work uniform, a few ties, a single grey button up, and one poorly-folded pair of khakis. He grabbed the button up and the khakis from the rack. They were his best, and _only_ , option. 

By the time he showered and dressed, it was a few minutes past ten. Mike rushed out to his car and climbed in. He was almost positive the school was close by. It was the same one he had gone to as a teenager. He realized they had definitely gone at the same time when he considered their age differences. Knowing him and the brunet could have crossed paths much earlier in life made him wish he hadn’t been such a mess of a teen. 

The school looked just as crappy as he remembered it being. The brick walls were cracked and worn from age, some of the windows were shattered or taped at the sides; Mike also noticed a few beaten up doors as he got out of the car. He was suddenly very happy high school was just a blurry memory. 

Two large crowds were gathered at the football field. One was comprised of what were clearly parents, all dressed far too formally for a high school affair, and the other crowd being students draped in dark green graduation caps and gowns. Mike tried to spot Jeremy as he made his way toward the bleaches. It was impossible when at least fifteen rows of students were dressed exactly the same. He put his search on hold and sat down as close to the front as he could. The bleachers creaked loudly under him like they would break at any moment- they had to be as old as the school was. He kept himself rigid in hopes they wouldn’t collapse under him and turned his attention to the stage in the middle of the field. 

A man read off a name, a random student would come up to the stage and grab their diploma, and then another student would be called up. After a handful of names were called Mike picked up on the alphabetical pattern. The man was currently in the E’s. He looked oddly recognizable, and then a bell rang; the principal that constantly quarreled with him in his high school days. The day guard pushed back the bad memories before he had to relive them. 

He started up his search again as the names continued to be called. Jeremy had an F last name, Mike believed, which meant he’d be up sooner than later. The principal read at a quick pace that kept things going speedily. In a few minutes he finished up with the E names and immediately moved to the F names. 

The search came to an end when Mike heard a familiar name called. His eyes swiftly drew to the person stepping onto the stage. Jeremy’s hair had mostly been tucked into the cap, though the fluffy brown locks still stuck out. His bangs had been pushed back, leaving two shining emerald eyes that scanned the crowd in a last ditch effort to find someone. 

They stopped when they found what they were looking for. A bright smile enveloped the brunet’s whole face. He turned back to grab the diploma and hurried off the stage. 

Mike felt a buzz in his pocket. He took his phone out and flipped it open. 

_ 10:25AM _

_ Jeremy: _

_ Thank you for coming!! You don’t have to stay for the whole thing if you don’t want!! It’s kind of long _

_ 10:25AM _

_ Mike: _

_ nah i cant leave without you how else are we gonna celebrate _

_ 10:26AM _

_ Jeremy: _

_ <3 _

Mike stared at the text with a red face. He shook his head and forced his attention back to the stage. Jeremy had disappeared back into the crowd of students. He wouldn’t be seen again for at least another hour. There were still so many names to go over. 

The rest of the event dragged on slowly.Mike’s only entertainment came from the texts Jeremy kept sending, reassuring him that they could leave as soon as the last name was called. 

Finally, the principal stopped reading off names. He gave a little speech Mike personally thought was the most half-assed thing he’d ever heard, and then the rows of students stood up as they threw their hats up. The day guard took that as his que to leave. He climbed down from the bleachers and went around the field until he reachedthe large gathering of spread out students who were searching for family members. 

Finding those green eyes was easy. They stood out even from afar. His hat was loosely placed on his head- the bangs were still pushed back but his hair was all over the place. He grabbed onto the hat and held it in place as he ran toward the day guard. 

Jeremy threw himself into the open arms, his arms tightly winding around the other male. The air left Mike’s lungs at the collision directly into his chest. He let out a breathless laugh. 

“Good to see you too.” He wrapped his arms around the brunet’s waist. Jeremy smiled up at him. His eyes shined brightly in the light. Mike couldn’t tear himself away from the sight. 

_Wow. He really is cute._

“I’m really proud of you, Jere.” Mike moved the hat off of his head and ruffled the hair around.

“I th-th- thought you weren’t coming. I couldn’t find the ticket anywhere.” Jeremy replied. 

“Wouldn’t miss this for the world,” Mike grinned, “You look good, by the way. The dress fits you.”

“It’s not a dress...!” 

“Whatever you say. Let’s go home.” 

“Home?”

“Home.” The day guard nodded surely. Jeremy buried his head into the other’s chest. He happily sighed. The day was going _much_ better than how he originally expected it to. Having someone by his side for graduation was _amazing_ , especially when it was the best person he could think of. 

Mike led him down the field and through the school’s parking lot. Jeremy got into the car first. He set his hat on the dashboard and tugged off the gown. Underneath he wore a white button up with a neat black tie. 

The day guard climbed in. He started up the ignition and drove out. Meanwhile, Jeremy was smiling out the window. His face was lit up and showed no signs of dimming anytime soon. Pure joy radiated off of him. The view warmed Mike’s heart. 

“I think I miss my sweatshirt.” Jeremy tugged at the tight collar of this shirt. 

“That fancy look suits you.” The day guard complimented. Anything would look good on him. He could wear a trash bag and Mike would still be entranced. 

“It s- suits you too.” The brunet replied, pointing out Mike’s clothes. 

“I forgot I was wearing this shit. I’ll be caught dead before I wear this again. Only wore it for you, you’re welcome.” 

“Well, thank you.” Jeremy lightly laughed. 

Once the two reached the apartment, Mike went straight to the kitchen with the brunet following right after him. He pulled out the ice cream cake from the freezer and set it on the counter. 

“You got a cake?” Jeremy gasped.

“It’s a big day, ‘course I got a cake. Oh, there’s cookies too. I got the sweetest looking ones I could find. Can you go grab a spoon?” Mike responded as he removed the packaging.

“Just a spoon?” The brunet tilted his head. He went over to the utensil drawer. 

“You’re the only one eating it so yeah, just a spoon will do it.”

“I’m not gonna eat a whole cake.. with a spoon..” 

“Why not? Seems like a waste of a perfectly good knife to cut it.”

“F-F-F- Fine.” Jeremy mumbled. He picked out a spoon and scooped out a little piece from the side. Just the look of the inside made Mike shiver in disgust. Each layer appeared to be sweeter than the last. How Jeremy could stand that sugar in one bite, Mike didn’t know. 

“This is so good...! You’re the- the best, Mike.” The brunet turned and hugged him again, happily resting his head against the other’s chest. His eyes peacefully closed as he enjoyed the warmth. 

“It’s nice to be home.” He whispered.

“You’re gonna love it here.” Mike patted the top of his head. 

“I know.” Jeremy turned his head up to the day guard with an excited expression. He suddenly turned to the cake, dabbed a bit of frosting onto his finger, and pressed it against Mike’s nose. 

“Now you have to try it.” He laughed.

“Two can play at that game!” The day guard tightened his arms around Jeremy and snatched the spoon from his hands. He scooped it into the cake and, before the brunet could squirm away, pressed it against his cheek. The squeak his coworker let out made him tilt his head back and laugh. 

He couldn’t wait for the long-waited addition to his apartment to finally become a permanent one. There wouldn’t be anymore days where he worried for Jeremy’s home life and all of the things that could go wrong. There would be a new liveliness to the apartment that Mike had hoped for since he moved in. Things would be better. 

_Finally, home will feel like home._


	14. Moving Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two guards move in together, and Mike finally gets to learn about the Fitzgerald family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: mentions of abuse

A day Jeremy had been looking forward to since he was young had finally come. He was officially moving out of his childhood home.

Mike would be coming over in the next half hour to help move his things. They’d planned everything a week beforehand so there was no chance they would have to deal with the brunet’s father. Mike assured him that if they met, the man would get decked _hard_.

Jeremy glanced at the clock above the stove as he prepared lunch. It was almost twelve; the time they agreed on. The day guard had tried to push for much earlier just in case, but was met with a list of reasons on why sleep was far more important. The brunet didn’t want him waking up too early when he barely got sleep already.

He finished up each sandwich and carried the two plates into the dining room. Having a guest over excited him more than he expected. His father had prohibited having friends over throughout his childhood, not that there had been many he _could_ have invited anyways.

The sudden loud knocking at the door made him jump in surprise. He spun around and rushed into the entrance hall.

“H- Hello..!” Jeremy happily greeted as he opened the door. Mike’s eyes instantly went behind the brunet. He peered around, mouth agape. He didn’t know what he expected from the inside of the household, but what he was looking at wasn’t it. Everything looked ridiculously nice. Far too nice.

“It’s nice as hell in here... you gonna make me take my shoes off?” His eyes went to the pile of shoes sitting in the corner of the hall.

“Oh- um, you don’t have to worry about that. I made lunch..!” Jeremy took the day guard’s hand and led him inside. As he was brought into the dining room, Mike caught a glimpse of the kitchen and living room. Both areas reminded him of as many domestic life stereotypes his brain could come up with. The marble counters, nice furniture, white walls; any hint of irregularity hidden away. The only telltale signs were a few lightly cracked and uneven parts of the walls he could tell had been punched in. The particularly large one above the dining table made him unwittingly hold Jeremy’s hand a little tighter. He turned his attention to the table where two plates were laid out with a sandwich and some chips on each. 

“What’d you make?” 

“It’s tomatoes, lettuce, Swiss cheese, and red onions. I thought you, um, might like eating healthy for once.” Jeremy playfully remarked. He laughed at the look immediately sent his way. 

“All that healthy shit is overrated...” Mike argued, “No way I’m rejecting the food though.”

He refused to waste an opportunity for good food because it didn’t fit with the usual garbage he ate. Anything the brunet made was guaranteed to taste perfect. He couldn’t wait to have that cooking everyday. 

After a quick meal, Jeremy took the empty plates and went into the kitchen. He worked on cleaning up while Mike wandered into the living room. He couldn’t help being curious about every aspect of the house. It reminded him of what he thought was a dream home as a child. The younger him would have died to live in a house with such a large living room, a nice couch, and-

“Jeremy, why the hell is your tv so fucking large?” He stared at the giant television pushed against the back wall. It had to be at least forty five inches wide. 

The brunet peeked his head out from the kitchen wall. He blushed at the day guard’s perplexed expression and looked away, shrugging his shoulders. 

“Doesn’t this make you sick when you watch it? I’m getting a headache just lookin’ at it.” Mike rubbed his forehead uncomfortably, turning his eyes to the blank walls instead. He wasn’t surprised that were no pictures up. Mr. Fitzgerald didn’t seem much like a family man.

“Uh, actually, I’m n-n- not allowed to use it. But when it’s on I get kind of dizzy.” Jeremy replied. That didn’t surprise Mike either.

“Should we start now?” He added quickly, wanting to avoid any comment on the subject. 

“Sounds good.” Mike agreed. He kept behind the brunet as they walked to the staircase. 

The second floor was more-so what Mike expected. It was composed of one long hallway with three doors, two on the left and one on the right. The rug that lined the floor had a few faded but still dark stains. There were large cracks in the paint that surrounded the door on the right. As they approached, Mike noticed three different locks attached to it. One of them looked just about to come off of the wall if the door was tugged too hard on. 

He reached over and took Jeremy’s hand again, biting his lower lip to keep himself from commenting. The brunet smiled at their intertwined hands. He reached forward with his free hand and opened the door. 

“Sorry it’s a bit messy,” He apologized, “I tried to clean up the best I could.”

Mike looked around the room with wide eyes. Every part of it was spotless. The bed had been neatly made with not a single wrinkle on the blankets, the few items on the dresser were evenly pushed to the back, and the desk was completely cleared of any items except for an orderly stack of notebooks and a pencil.

“If this is what you call dirty then you’re gonna hate living with me.” He mumbled as he walked around the room. Besides the furniture, the bedroom felt bare. The only things that stuck out were the cracked mirror hanging on the wall and the one plush on the bed. 

“Still like stuffed animals, huh?” He grinned at the brunet. Jeremy’s entire face lit up. He rushed over and snatched it from the bed.

“It was- was a gift..!” He stated, puffing his cheeks. Mike’s grin only grew. Even when he was angry he still managed to be adorable. 

It turned out moving took a lot more strength than Jeremy had previously thought. While packing everything into boxes was simple and took no time at all, moving things up and down made his arms ache badly. Mike insisted on carrying it all for him but was shot down each time. He refused to burden the man like that, even if the boxes really were hard to carry. 

“You sure you’ve got that?” The day guard asked as he picked up the last box, one filled entirely with his clothes. Jeremy nodded back at him confidently. His arms shook from the painfully heavy weight. It felt like a punishment for only ever wearing thick clothing. 

Mike took the box from him immediately, muttering something about hurting himself, and shot a mildly disapproving look. The brunet went after him as he went down the staircase. 

“I could’ve gotten that.” He whined. Another disapproving look hit him. 

“Well I’m getting it. I’ve got the arms for it,” Mike retorted, “Go look around and check if you forgot anything.”

He opened his mouth to argue, until he realized he _did_ forget something. It had completely slipped his mind earlier. Jeremy hurried back up the stairs and into his bedroom. He swung opened the closet door, pulled his desk chair over, and carefully stepped onto it. 

Hidden in the top shelf of his closet were three old photo albums. Each one contained pictures of a young Jeremy and his parents. He didn’t want to risk losing them if he left them behind. They would end up being burned like all the other albums. 

The brunet flipped one open. A blissful, nostalgic feeling filled him as he looked over the first page. It had been too long since he’d seen a picture of his mother. She held onto a toddler version of Jeremy with incredibly messy brown hair and wide green eyes. They both had large, toothy smiles facing toward the camera. It was the same living room as the one he had currently, except currently the walls had been painted a different color and the furniture updated to something more modern.

“Watcha’ looking at?” 

The sudden speech startled him, causing him to jump and rapidly he turn to his coworker with wide eyes.

“Just, um, old photos.” He shut the album he held and pulled each one back into his arms. 

“Old photos? Can I see?” Mike peered curiously, humored by the idea of seeing the brunet as a toddler. An album was pushed into his hands as Jeremy walked past him. 

“Put it in with the oth- other stuff when you’re done, please.” He requested before he stepped out of the room. The day guard sat down on the bed, flipping open the album to a random page. He was greeted with various photos of a young Jeremy running around an open yard. He couldn’t be older than three. Mike turned to the next page, smiling immediately at the pictures that greeted him. The brunet didn’t look too much different as an adult. Those big green eyes especially remained. 

The page after that had one large family photo. The nice lighting and grey background made it obvious that it was professionally taken. Jeremy stood in between two adults, one whom had her hands around his waist. His hair was cut short but it’s natural thickness still created a fluffy look. He stared at the camera with sunken eyes and a small smile that was clearly forced. 

Mike’s eyes lingered toward the last person in the photo; his hands shook at the mere sight. Jeremy’s father looked like a total prick. He had the same hair color except much shorter and slicked back, dark brown eyes, brows furrowed as if he was angry at something, and a stern frown. It seemed that even fifteen years ago he looked incredibly punchable. 

The woman next to him had a frighteningly similar appearance to Jeremy, too. The Fitzgerald family had an obvious trait of brown hair. Her eyes were exactly the same as the child in front of her. They bared so much similarity that it started to bother the day guard. She wasn’t a good woman in his eyes, she never would be be.

“I think we- we can leave now,” Jeremy called as he walked back into the room, “I’ve got everything I need..!”

His cheeks reddened when Mike raised one of the pages toward him. A wide grin enveloped his face. 

“You were cute as fuck, huh?” He pointed to one of the pictures. The brunet’s face got even redder. He yanked the album away and closed it.

“You’re embarrassing.” He complained.

“I’m just stating facts. You should feel lucky, anyways.  You know how ugly _I_ was as a kid? I don’t know how my parents didn’t just throw me out.” 

“That can’t be true,” Jeremy huffed, “You’ve never been ugly.”

“Not even now?” Mike rose a brow. He stood up when the brunet shook his head. 

“Okay, what about now?”

“I already said- _hey_!” Jeremy squealed as two arms wrapped around his waist and lifted him. Mike carefully pulled him over his shoulder, making sure not to hurt him accidentally. 

“You’re not proving anything,” The brunet pushed against his back, “Just that- that you’re a show off..!”

“The hell am I showing off?”

“Your strength..!”

“Well in that let case I’ll just show off some more,” Mike smugly replied, “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

As much as being held was probably a jab to his pride, Jeremy couldn’t be bothered to try and get off. The day guard was warm like always and the arms around him only made the hold warmer. 

He tightly clung onto Mike as they descended the stairs. Every step made him anxiously tighten his grip. The chuckling he could hear from the other wasn’t helping. 

“I’m not gonna drop you. And if I do you can hit me as hard as you want.” Mike assured. 

“I won’t hit you ev- even if you drop me.. but please don’t drop me.” Jeremy’s eyes worriedly looked down. He refused to release his tight grip on the day guard until they were officially on the first floor.

Mike shifted him into a more comfortable position where he was in front, his legs and back being supported by the day guard’s arms. Jeremy laid his head on his chest, smiling up at him. 

“You’re comfy.” He complimented. 

“I know.” Mike turned away momentarily to hide the brush of pink across his cheeks. He pulled the brunet closer to his chest and walked toward the door. 

It opened on its own. A familiar man entered the house, a hard stare directly on Mike. He looked similar to how he did in the picture; with greyer hair, more wrinkles, and a permanent frown. _Still just as punchable, though._

Jeremy pushed away as soon as he properly registered the situation. He was promptly set down, but immediately had his hand grabbed and squeezed. The day guard’s eyes were filled with a fury that would just get worse the more they spent inside the house. If they stayed any longer, Jeremy doubted he’d be able to stop the other from doing something rash. 

“Who are you and why the fuck are you in my house?” Mr. Fitzgerald angrily questioned. Mike balled his hands into fists as he returned the harsh look sent his way. He opened his mouth to begin a tyrant of curses, until he felt a light tug at his arm. 

“I’ll- I’ll be out in a second.” Jeremy whispered. 

“I’m not..” Mike paused mid-sentence to frown at the look he was getting. He’d never seen the brunet’s eyes so big. It was a clear cue to leave. 

“... I’ll be outside.” He reluctantly gave in, letting go of Jeremy’s hand and stepping toward the door. They exchanged a quick look as he walked out; the brunet held a comforting smile. 

It dropped, along with his head, as soon as the door closed.

“I leave the house for a few hours and you start breaking my rules?” His father snapped, “Who was that man and why was he _carrying_ you?”

“He’s my, um, my coworker. I on- only had him over b-b- because I’m... I’m moving out.” Jeremy admitted quietly.

“And you didn’t bother to tell me this until right now? Were you just going to leave while I wasn’t home and hope I didn’t notice?”

“Well, I-“

“Thank fuck I only had a meeting today. Otherwise all I would’ve gotten is a text, sound about right? Haven’t I raised you better than this?” Mr. Fitzgerald scoffed. 

Jeremy pursed his lips, frowning deeply. Anything he said would inevitably upset the man further. It wasn’t worth the effort to try and appease him anymore. He had somewhere much better to be. 

His father crossed his arms, staring suspiciously at him. The painful gaze felt constricting and caused him to squirm nervously. His mind screamed at him to leave, to ignore the guilt he felt for leaving without saying anything. He didn’t get the chance before his father moved in front of the door.

“Are you gay?”

His eyes widened. He finally looked up at the man in front of him.

“I-I’m- I’m not- I wouldn’t-“

“Then why were you holding his hand, huh? He was looking at you like normal men look at _women_. I’m not stupid, Jeremy!” His father interrogated, “What kind of man lets another man _hold_ him? Fucking hell, I should’ve known!”

“But I-“

“You know what? I don’t care. You’re not worth it. Just get out of my house, for fuck sake. I don’t give a shit wether you’re here or not. Go on and leave just like your mother. I didn’t expect any better from you.” Mr. Fitzgerald walked past him, pushing him harshly out of the way as he got close. 

Jeremy stumbled back. He bit back a whine as his shoulder roughly hit the wall. Even if the goodbye wasn’t fantastic, it felt safer that he was brushed off and nothing more. Mike, standing right outside the front door, surely wouldn’t have let the man get away with anything. If the situation escalated, the brunet shook off what could have happened. 

He quickly moved to the door and left the house. His hand was taken just as he stepped onto the gravel outside of the house. Mike looked over him momentarily in search of any injuries before leading him to the car. 

Jeremy’s eyes wandered to their intertwined hands. He was pretty sure other people held hands all the time. It wasn’t because of any feelings between them. Mike would never look at someone like him in that way. It didn’t matter. He worriedly chewed on his lower lip as he turned his eyes to the floor. 

“I should’ve beat the shit out of him.” Mike muttered. 

_“Mike.”_

“Right, sorry.” The scolding didn’t stop him from thinking about what he could have done. He brought Jeremy over to the car door and swung it open. His ears barely caught the hushed ‘ _thank you_ ’. The day guard rose a brow at the newly quiet nature. Whatever happened in the house while he was gone, it must have been taking its toll. 

“Hey,” He put a hand on the brunets shoulder, “You shouldn’t start off in a new place by thinking too much. I can think of so many better things to do. Like get ice cream and celebrate how fuckin’ cool your new place is.”

Jeremy shook his head, laughing. He gave Mike a small hug before getting into the car. 

“That sounds good.” He agreed. 

“Fuck yeah it does.” Mike responded with a smirk. He closed the door, went to his own side, and climbed in. Jeremy set the album he’d been holding onto in the back seat where all of the boxes were. Looking back at them, he realized how little stuff he had. He didn’t mind; it just meant he wouldn’t have to crowd up Mike’s place as much. 

“Thank you for- for this. You’re the best.”

“Nah, you’ve beat me out for being the best. Just look at you.” The day guard reached over and ruffled his hair. He chuckled at the immediate blush that appeared. At the rate he was at, making Jeremy blush felt like a talent. 

Neither of them looked back as the car drove away.


End file.
